Award Data

ColdQuanta is partnering with Dr. Zoya Popovic at the University of Colorado, Boulder, to develop a three-dimensional quantum-enhanced radio-frequency (RF) signal sensor and direction finder. Our approach combine Rydberg-atom-based RF electrometry and discrete lens arrays (DLAs) of planar antennas. The DLA will serve as a Fourier optic for an incident wave, and a Rydberg-atom RF electrometer will ...

The widespread use of Aqueous Film Forming Foams (AFFF) at DOD facilities for firefighting, training, and fire suppression systems has resulted in numerous contamination sites. The perfluoroalkyl (PFA) compounds used in the AFFF, such as perfluoroalkyl sulfonates (PFOS) and perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFOA) are extremely stable in the environment and have been shown to be resistant to typical ...

In this Phase II effort, FIRST RF, partnered with UCSD, will demonstrate array technology enabling highly directive multi-beam TCDL communications using phased arrays. The system expands upon prior SBIR development programs by enabling additional simultaneous full duplex data links by utilizing a novel array topology and beam forming technology allowing for the maximized SWaP solution for the disa ...

Acclimatization is the long-term adjustment that humans experience when exposed for weeks or months to high altitude. Acclimatization is important in this context because a warfighter who is acclimatized to high altitude is immune to high altitude illness, has superior work capacity, and has cognitive function approaching that found at sea level. In other words, the acclimatized warfighter is opti ...

In response to the challenges described in AF173-CT05, Applied Defense Solutions (ADS) and the University of New Mexico (UNM) (equivalently, the ADS Team) propose to research and develop innovative validation and verification (V&V) algorithms for spacecraft GN&C. The ADS Team is unique in that it brings operational flight GN&C software experience (ADS) with cutting edge research on algorithm V&V ( ...

This is a prototype system that will take raw observation data, detect and characterize maneuvers, and use reinforcement learning to understand and react to evasive RSO behaviors in near real time. This will provide a framework to evaluate autonomous behavior strategies, such a safety, effectiveness, and robustness to manipulation. This work will enable surveillance operators to distinguish betwee ...

The DF&NN team has significant experience in delivering Space Domain Awareness tools. These tools will be applied to 2 years of GEO ephemeris data of active satellites at DF&NN. The RDESB prototype will reduce the risk in rapidly discovering the behavioral patterns of potentially evasive and/or ambiguous active resident space objects. RDESB will detect non-Keplerian behavior in ephemeris data for ...

Space superiority requires space protection and space situational awareness (SSA), which rely on rapid and accurate space object behavioral and operational intent discovery. The focus of this project is to develop a stochastic approach for rapid discovery of evasive satellite behaviors. Designing the innovative decision support tool has numerous challenges: (i) partial observable actions; (ii) eva ...

The Air Force is seeking solutions for a sun-tracking millimeter wave radiometer to measure atmospheric attenuation over a high dynamic range. The V- and W- bands have rarely been used for space communications and telemetry applications, but rapidly increasing government and commercial bandwidth needs will require future solutions within these bands. Our team, comprised of experienced scientists, ...

Modern Directed Energy (DE) missions require target engagements at low elevation angles and long ranges.These engagement geometries require propagation through distributed-volume turbulence. To correct for distributed-volume turbulence effects, an estimation of the turbulence along the propagation path is required. Correcting for these image aberrations will improve the quality of the target image ...