Precision Formation Flying Sensor Testing

The search for Earth-like planets is among the highest priority pieces of science in the minds of NASA, the science community and the worldwide public. The technology we intend to flight test on an sRLV is on the critical path of the roadmap to flying such a mission. The Janus is a navigation device that will enable precision alignment of spacecraft over large distances in deep space. The program is designed to develop key technologies for a starshade mission as well as for deep space navigation and formation flying. The Janus, with its precision alignment information independent of GPS, will give new information to Masten Aerospace about the behavior of their vehicle.

For more on the Starshade concept, see:
New space telescope concept could image objects at far higher resolution than Hubble
http://newworlds.colorado.edu/starshade

Problem Statement
In 2005, we invented a shaped design for an external occulter that, for the first time, supported sufficiently high contrast, sufficiently close to the parent star that one could design an affordable space mission to perform spectroscopy of Earth-like planets as far away as 60 light years (Cash, Nature2006). Now called a starshade, this external occulter involves two spacecraft, separated by tens of thousands of kilometers - one carries a telescope of conventional quality, and the other carries a petal-shaped opaque screen about 50m in diameter. The two craft must be held in alignment along the line of sight to the target star to a few meters accuracy. When the star, which is about 10 billion times brighter than the planet, is blotted out, none of its radiation enters the telescope where it would otherwise cause havoc, with scattered and diffracted light hiding th

This technology is a navigation device that will enable precision alignment of spacecraft over large distances in deep space, benefitting the commercial space industry and future NASA missions.

This is a mature technology (TRL 7) — the realistic path in is usually NASA's Technology Transfer Program: licensing an existing NASA patent, or a Space Act Agreement to use NASA facilities/expertise directly. NASA also runs a startup licensing program with no upfront fee for companies formed to commercialize a specific NASA technology.

None of these are guaranteed paths for this specific project — TechPort itself doesn't have an "apply" button. Reaching out to the contact(s) above with a specific question is usually the fastest way to find out what's actually open.