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Echo Time Distance Measurements for Nanosatellite Arrays

Award Information
Agency: National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Branch: N/A
Contract: NNX12CD28P
Agency Tracking Number: 115806
Amount: $124,735.00
Phase: Phase I
Program: SBIR
Solicitation Topic Code: S4.01
Solicitation Number: N/A
Timeline
Solicitation Year: 2011
Award Year: 2012
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): 2012-02-23
Award End Date (Contract End Date): 2012-08-23
Small Business Information
505 Brookfield Drive
Dover, DE 10991-6534
United States
DUNS: 784442332
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
 Periklis Papadopoulos
 Principal Investigator
 (650) 248-7173
 periklis.papadopoulos@gmail.com
Business Contact
 Jacob Elsonbati
Title: Business Official
Phone: (650) 275-3820
Email: cpi@americanacademy.net
Research Institution
 Stub
Abstract

This proposal presents a technique for the precise determination of distance between nodes of a planar array of nanosatellites for synthetic aperture and sensor array applications. The proposed effort will result in a navigational technique that can precisely determine the positions of nanosatellite sensor nodes in the array. The proposed innovation enables higher performance and low cost sensor array development, while fitting within the size constraints, limited communication ability, and operational duty cycles of nanosatellites.The technique presented depends on echo time measurement between a satellite and its neighbors. That is, the satellite generates a RF signal that is received by its neighbors and echoed back. Differential measurements are taken to subtract out delays introduced by the propagating hardware. The distances between pairs of neighboring satellites can then be combined with bearing and orientation information to precisely map the spatial arrangement of the satellite array. Combined with bearing and orientation measurements, this technique solves the precise position determination (PPD) problem using nanosatellites; that is, position determination within the sensor array with accuracy suitable for synthetic aperture formation.

* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *

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