Award Data

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 ...

This STTR project develops an innovative seed fabrication technology to address the fundamental size-quality limitation of gallium nitride (GaN) substratesthe indispensable key component for GaN-based vertical high-power devices. Currently, there is no viable GaN technology to realize large-area and low-defect substrates simultaneously. The technology producing 6" and larger GaN wafers results in ...

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 ...

CONCUR develops a computational framework for assessing and characterizing urban environments stability or fragility in response to volatility and stress, identifying specific weaknesses as well as key tipping points which could lead to rapid systemic failure. CONCUR explicitly models urban environments as emergent complex systems, focusing attention on the critical triggers that could lead to rap ...

The Department of Defense uses large-scale high-resolution federated simulations to propagate rocket vehicle trajectories. Runge-Kutta methods have served as a de-facto standard while conducting such simulations. However, there are several challenges while using Runge-Kutta methods for this task. Firstly, there should be exact time-step matching between federates, otherwise the states have to be i ...

The Ground-Based Interceptor (GBI) missile is the weapon component of the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system that consists of a rocket booster and kinetic kill vehicle. Recently, MDA has sought technologies to improve the performance of the booster vehicle (BV). To date, studies have shown that reductions in weight have a direct impact on overall effectiveness. The current proposal aims t ...

West Coast Solutions (WCS), in collaboration with the Georgia Institute of Technology and Creare LLC, proposes an adaptation of our SmallSat Stirling Cryocooler (SSC) technology in response to STTR Topic MDA17-T003: High-Efficiency, Low-Volume, Space-Qualified Cryogenic-Coolers. In Phase 1 we will scale up a design currently in development for NASA to meet the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) topic re ...

Triton Systems, Inc. proposes to develop a method for efficiently running federated simulations of atmospheric and orbital rocket flight. Tritons proposed method will be able to get information between time steps without the need for interpolation and will significantly reduce the computational time needed to run Federated simulations.Approved for Public Release | 18-MDA-9522 (23 Feb 18)

The Iris Technology team which also include Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems (NGAS) and the University of Wisconsin, is attacking the problem of high-efficiency, low-volume, space-qualified cryocooler systems.The team has a firm starting point by leveraging the Northrop Grumman Microcryocooler and the Iris Technology mLCCE (Miniature Low Cost Control Electronics).TMU enhancement will start with ...

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 ( ...