Electro-Optic Laser Scanners for Space-Based Lidar

Vescent Photonics propose to design and build revolutionary non-mechanical, electro-optic (EO) laser scanners that will be suitable for space based laser ranging, with a specific focus on the upcoming Lidar Surface Topography (LIST) mission. The success of past and current space based lidar missions (e.g., ICESat, CALIPSO, Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, MESSENGER) has demonstrated the utility of lidar. LIST, which will provide a high-resolution (5 meters horizontal and 10 centimeters vertical) topographic map of the Earth, will enable a vast array of important research including: detection of active faults, global shifts in vegetation patterns, coastal erosion, assessment of wildfire risk, and many more. To realize this (with the preferred scanned approach) new scanner technology is required. The scanner must provide 1000 resolvable spots at a rep rate of 10 kHz and must survive launch and maintain calibrated operation throughout the multiyear mission lifetime. Mechanical scanners are too slow and fragile, and current EO scanners provide insufficient resolution. The goal of this SBIR is to develop (from a current TRL 3 to 4 at end of phase I and 6 and end of phase II) and provide new EO scanners that will be suitable for LIST and other NASA lidar needs.

Rugged, low cost, wide-angle EO laser scanners, which have been elusive goal for many years, have a large variety of applications. These include: free space optical (FSO), micro-ladar for security and robotic vision, laser profilometers, environmental monitors (when combined with tunable lasers), and many more. Our technology will provide an increase of several orders of magnitude in the angular stroke of traditional electro-optic beamsteering approaches leading to electro-optic replacement of mechanical beamsteerers.

Low cost, rugged, wide-angle EO laser scanning is a basic component that will find utility across a wide variety of NASA missions. When combined with laser ranging (ladar) this will enable autonomous rover navigation, auto-docking devices, space based laser altimeters for terrain mapping, and many more. EO scanners can also be used for very high bandwidth free-space-optical communications between vehicles, satellites, planes, and/or remote platforms. Finally, the unprecedented small size, weight, and power will enable deployment on previously inaccessible platforms such as miniature UAVs, balloons, buoys, and more.

This is early/mid-stage (TRL 4) — the most realistic path in is NASA SBIR/STTR, which funds small businesses and research institutions to develop technology aligned with NASA's needs (equity-free, phased funding). Check whether a current SBIR/STTR solicitation topic overlaps with this project's technology area, or contact the project directly (above) to ask.

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