Compact Multi-Protocol Modem

At present, CubeSat and many SmallSat radios are not compatible with CCSDS waveforms - these are the dominant waveforms used by NASA ground stations and international partners. Furthermore, none of the current CubeSat radios have ranging capabilities. With CubeSats being considered for a wide range of missions outside the realm of LEO (Low Earth Orbit) - compatibility with CCSDS waveforms is ultra-important and ranging capability is critical. Innoflight proposes to adopt CCSDS waveform and ranging capabilities that are compatible with NASA's NEN (Near Earth Network), DSN (Deep Space Network), and SN (Space Network) into the single-board CubeSat form factor IF-SDR platform. In addition to waveform adoption - we propose to design on the fly re-configurability of waveforms to support switching between different ground stations and different mission phases. At the end of the Phase II, we will commercialize the most flexible and capable CubeSat radio on the market.

NASA has been looking at approaches to perform meaningful science using small and low cost missions. SmallSat and CubeSat missions are very limited in the selection of high performance radios. In the last decade, it has become obvious that the need to downlink science data products from spacecraft has far exceeded the capability of currently available technology to deliver. This effort will provide a whole new class of radio systems for these missions.

The DoD and the commercial sector are the primary non-NASA customers. The DoD has been investing in Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) with a focus on tactical missions with a 2 year lifetime and very fast build cycles. The commercial market has been investing in numerous spacecraft in smaller sizes (e.g., OneWeb) with a focus on income generation from satellite generated data products. In the last decade, it has become obvious that the need to downlink data products from spacecraft has far exceeded the capability of currently available technology to deliver.

This is early/mid-stage (TRL 3) — 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.

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.