The laser technology to be developed under this SBIR program lays the foundation for an affordable class of space-based remote sensing instruments that are compatible with Earth Venture or ISS-class missions. Because of the lower cost, we expect the frequency of these opportunities to be far greater than those of major missions such as ICESat-2 and those recommended in the decadal study: ACE, ASCENDS, and LIST. EV-class missions also serve as pathfinders for major space-based instruments and thus, reduce the risk for the higher value missions. The technology developed under this SBIR has application for remote sensing of multiple atmospheric species linked to global climate change including methane, water vapor, and potentially carbon dioxide. In addition to NASA, NOAA has a long history of fielding water-vapor remote sensing instrumentsboth terrestrial and airborne platforms. Many of these have been based on low-power (laser diode) sources and therefore have limited range capability. The proposed Er:YAG frequency-doubled laser can access the same WV lines but with orders of magnitude higher peak power, which enables measurements with higher precision and coverage rates. Upgrade of existing lidar systems with the new laser technology will also provide a viable market for high-performance laser systems.
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