An X-ray Communication Flight Demonstration on STP-H6 (XCOM)

The Space Technology Program Houston 6 (STP-H6) X-ray Communication (XCOM) technology demonstration will perform the first space-based demonstration of communication in the X-ray band, and it is a joint effort between the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) and NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. The XCOM demonstration will take advantage of the Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) mission, which is currently operating on the International Space Station (ISS), by using it as a one-way X-ray receiver, with the signal being transmitted through space over a range of approximately 50 m along the ISS truss.

Communication using X-rays could open the way for new applications, such as communication with hypersonic vehicles during Radio Frequency (RF) blackout caused by a plasma sheath, highly power efficient communications over long distances, and secure point-to-point communication over very short distances using very tight X-ray beams produced by coupling the X-ray output with diffraction-limited X-ray optics.

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.

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