DON26BZ01-NV039 — Reentry Test Body Telemetry Antenna
Award Maximum: $140,000 (Base) / $100,000 (Option) Period of Performance: 6 months (Base) + 6 months (Option) Phase Type: Phase I
OBJECTIVE: Design, develop, and test a reentry body antenna or antenna system capable of transmitting high speed, real time, inflight, encrypted data. The data transmission should be in bands alternate to S band such as the K & Ka bands and communicate with geostationary satellites used as a pass-through mechanism to relay the encrypted data to ground.
DESCRIPTION: The development of a next-generation telemetry communications antenna for Navy Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM) reentering test bodies is critical in advancing developmental technologies being evaluated on flight tests. While common ground tests such as wind tunnels, arc jets, and vibration provide insights into predictable reentry environments, flight testing remains the gold standard in evaluating reentry bodies (RBs) and their onboard technologies.
The current technology to monitor SLBM payloads during flight include a transmitter/receiver system between the reentry body and ground stations. Data is captured during flight and transmitted to the ground in the S band (2-4 GHz), making data transfer slower than higher frequency bands. Due to the S band being a highly populated frequency band and the power on the RB required to telemeter data in the S band back down to the ground receiver, midflight data transmission is both slow and costly. Additionally, since the transmitter/receiver system today is only between the RB and ground station, real time data transmission is lost during a portion of the flight when the RB is the furthest away from the ground, otherwise commonly known as "over the top" of the flight trajectory as well as during reentry when the body enters plasma blackout.
To solve this problem, the technology proposed should use alternate frequency bands, such as K and Ka bands (18-40 GHz) and make use of geostationary satellites as a pass-through mechanism to capture real time data from the RB and telemeter the encrypted data back down to the ground at high speeds in order to minimize data transmission latency and loss. By having real-time, high-speed data throughout the duration of flight on a flight test, the Navy can better understand technology performance throughout the various environments and environment transitions and can more effectively diagnose issues or failures resulting in faster technology maturation.
Work produced in Phase II may become classified.
PHASE I: Prepare a detailed plan to accomplish the objective to include: (1) A clear and concise definition of the problem; (2) Definition of the System Requirements; (3) Proposed technology solution; (4) Draft technology solution specification; (5) Identification of trade-off studies to be studied and how the trade studies will influence product design; (6) Optimized structural and thermal designs; (7) Detailed plan to achieve prototype development and testing; (8) Detailed plan to achieve system integration and qualification. AES256 is a standard. The Phase I Option, if exercised, will include the initial design specifications and capabilities description to build a prototype solution in Phase II.
PHASE II: Implement the program plan described in the Phase I deliverable. Three prototypes should be delivered. The first prototype should be able to be incorporated onto a test flight such as a sounding rocket or full scale test on a Multi-Service Advanced Capability Hypersonics Test Bed (MACH-TB) platform to evaluate its performance. The second prototype will be used for destructive ground test activities required for qualification and the third prototype will be used for non-destructive ground test and qualification activities. It is probable that the work under this effort will be classified under Phase II.
PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: The final product will be an antenna or antenna system that is matured to its final form factor, qualified to Trident II D5LE environments. The product shall meet all size, weight, and power constraints for implementation onto a reentry test body. A possible non-DoW use for this effort can be improved communications for commercial space payloads in multiple bands.
KEYWORDS: Telemetry; flight test; reentry body; encrypted data transmission; high frequency data transmission; geostationary satellite; high speed data