Training Grant 80NSSC21K2026

This federal contract award to the University of California, Irvine (UC Irvine) aims to develop an omnidirectional inter-satellite optical communication device capable of 1 gigabit per second data rates over distances up to 200 kilometers. The project will adapt a dodecahedron geometry design that can fit within a CubeSat and utilize avalanche photodetector arrays and MEMS scanning mirrors for direction-of-arrival calculation and beam steering. The $200,000.00 cooperative agreement, awarded by...

This SBIR Phase I contract, awarded by NASA's Shared Services Center to Fibertek, Inc., a small business manufacturer, seeks to develop a modular optical ground station architecture capable of scaling to hundreds of gigabits per second (Gbps) data rates from lunar and near-Earth orbits. The objectives are to support NASA's deep space and near-Earth optical communications needs by developing key technologies to dramatically increase data volumes, while adhering to the Space Communications and...

This NASA SBIR Phase I contract was awarded to Fibertek, Inc. for the design, development, and demonstration of a smallsat/cubesat-compatible optical communication modem for space-to-ground and inter-satellite links. The $124,775 fixed-price contract aims to produce an adaptive and cognitive modem that optimizes performance compared to traditional fixed-point designs. Fibertek, a small business and manufacturer of advanced photonics and engineering solutions, will focus on a hardware...

This is a $124,928 firm-fixed price Phase I Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) contract awarded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to Cross Trac Engineering, Inc., a small business subchapter S corporation. The contract is for the development of a free space optical communications and ranging system as a 1U module for CubeSats, enabling precision pointing and laser crosslinks at ranges up to 1,000 km with data rates of 100 Mbps or greater. This effort aligns...

This federal contract award was granted by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) to perform early-stage research on an innovative hybrid integrated photonics platform for adaptive discrete multi-carrier optical communications in a space-based free-space optical environment. The $499,997.00 grant will support the development of silicon photonic transceiver components for a coherent laser optical communication and/or relay...

This federal contract award from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Shared Services Center is for the development of optical intersatellite communications systems for CubeSat swarms. The contract, valued at $324,999.00, was awarded to Cross Trac Engineering, Inc., a small business subchapter S corporation. The contract is a Definitive Contract with a Firm Fixed Price pricing type and has a completion date of July 31, 2022. The contract was awarded under the Small Business...

This is a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II contract awarded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Shared Services Center to Cross Trac Engineering, Inc., a small business subchapter S corporation. The $1,074,886 contract supports the development of a free space optical communications and ranging system with precision pointing capabilities for 3U and larger CubeSats. The system is designed to enable CubeSat swarm and constellation missions by enabling...

This contract was awarded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Shared Services Center to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to develop a low-cost, low-complexity CubeSat laser communication (lasercom) intersatellite link transceiver. The goal is to enable higher data rate crosslink communications for CubeSat missions to support rapid exchange of observational data and enable new operational paradigms. The contract has a potential value of $447,958.50 and is...

The University of California, San Diego (UCSD) was awarded a $302,361 training grant from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on September 1, 2017. The goal of this research project is to design and develop a photonic transmitter microchip that can enable high-speed, coherent optical communications for space applications. Specifically, UCSD aims to leverage integrated photonics and advanced modulation techniques like recirculating frequency shifting to scale data rates...

Cross Trac Engineering, Inc., a small business based in Mountain View, California, has been awarded a Phase III Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) contract valued at $147,505 by the Civilian agency's Shared Services Center. This definitive, firm fixed-price contract supports the development of optical intersatellite communications systems for CubeSat swarms, with a completion date of July 1, 2028. The award is designated as a total small business set-aside, consistent with STTR program...