Frequency Agile Seed Laser for Orbital Doppler-Shift Compensation

The overall goal of the SBIR effort is to develop a frequency-agile, stand-alone, space-hardened diode-based seed laser with options for locking and frequency agility to compensate for doppler shift during orbit. This US-manufactured platform will be applicable for seeding next generation Nd:YAG lasers currently being developed for high-priority-designated aerosol missions (single- and multi-channel backscatter), for Explorer missions for trace gas and methane sensing, as well as for future-looking Incubation missions. Under this Phase I effort, AdvR proposes to demonstrate the feasibility of programmable doppler-shift compensation for a compact, diode-based seed laser, as well as to provide a baseline design for a stand-alone, frequency agile, space-qualified system to be built and tested to TRL 6 by the end of the Phase II effort. This technology directly addresses the need for state-of-the-art lidar technology with an emphasis on compactness, efficiency, reliability, lifetime, and high performance, and will advance the accuracy of atmospheric space-based measurements, as described in the NASA SBIR topic S.101 Lidar Remote Lidar Sensing Technologies.

1) Aerosols/Clouds/Ecosystems Mission (ACE); NASA LaRC (Hostetler, Cook, et al.) 2) High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL); Nasa LaRC (Hostetler, Cook, et al.) 3) Monitoring the Evolving State of Clouds and Aerosols (MESCAL); lidar mission concept under development by NASA LaRC and CNES 4) NASA Langley High Altitude Lidar Observatory (HALO) 5) Wind Lidar, NASA/GSFC (Gentry, et al.) 6) DIAL Lidar, NASA/GSFC (Riris, et al.)

Laser source stabilization Commercial lidar systems Single frequency green lasers for underwater imaging Environmental and pollution monitoring Fiber and free-space communications

This is early/mid-stage (TRL 5) — 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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