Potential NASA Commercial Applications: Non-payload applications include telecommand, telemetry, navigation aid data, air traffic control (ATC) voice relay, air traffic services (ATS) data relay, sense and avoid data relay, airborne weather radar data, and situational awareness video. However, this proposed linear power amplifier technology also applies to payload communications, including but not limited to command & control (C2) uplink, sensor downlink, video downlink, etc. Phased-array Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) systems for airborne land mapping science would require linear power amplifiers. Target programs include NASA/GSFC's L-band "DBSAR," and P-band "ECOSAR." Space-based SAR systems may include "SPACESAR" and "SESAR." NASA/GSFC also has a number of airborne weather RADAR at X-, Ku-, Ka-, and W-bands that use linear solid state amplifiers. The projects include "XRAD," "HIWRAP," and "CRS." Studies on putting similar capabilities into space, specifically focusing on the Ka- and W-band measurements, have been commissioned.
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