SBIR/STTR
VORTEX Gimbal, Phase I
Project Introduction
To overcome the communication gap to Venus, TUI proposes to develop the Venus or Titan Exploratory (VORTEX) Gimbal to point a meter scale diameter, high gain antenna. The VORTEX Gimbal is a highly advanced adaptation of the COBRA gimbal developed by TUI for the nanosatellite market. The VORTEX Gimbal will be capable of providing performance characteristics that are unmatched in the current high-fidelity gimbal market at a SWAP (size, weight and power) that has yet to be developed. Included in these characteristics is the ability to slew and rotate continuously in any direction from any position without the need for failure-prone and costly slip rings. This feature will be highly beneficial for coaxial or other cabling that is needed to pass from the payload to the antenna via the gimbal. Due to the lack of slip rings, this mechanism will be significantly more reliable than traditional gimbal mechanisms. The VORTEX Gimbal also provides 3 degrees of freedom (DOF) by nature of its design. This means that in addition to hemispherical-plus pointing (greater than 2 pi steradians), the VORTEX Gimbal has the ability to stow compactly for launch in a much denser volume than its operational workspace.
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Anticipated Benefits
Potential NASA Commercial Applications: The primary application for the Venus or Titan Exploratory (VORTEX) Gimbal will be for aerobot-based exploration missions on Venus and other planetary bodies. The VORTEX Gimbal will provide a reliable, lightweight, autonomous mechanism for pointing high gain antennas used in telecommunications. The VORTEX Gimbal mechanism will not be limited to this use case, however. This mechanism will be useful for any mission with instruments that require precision pointing and data throughput, such as sensors, imagers, solar arrays, and thrusters.
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Primary U.S. Work Locations and Key Partners
| Organizations Performing Work | Role | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
(JPL)
|
Lead Organization | NASA Center | Pasadena, CA |
| Tethers Unlimited | Supporting Organization | Industry | Bothell, WA |
Primary U.S. Work Locations
-
Washington
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Organizational Responsibility
Responsible Mission Directorate:
- Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD)
Lead Center / Facility:
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
Responsible Program:
- SBIR/STTR
Project Management
Program Director:
Program Manager:
Project Duration
Start: Jun 2015
End: Dec 2015
Technology Maturity (TRL)
| Start: | 3 |
| Current: | 4 |
| Estimated End: | 4 |
Applied Research
Development
Demo & Test
Technology Areas
Primary:
- TA13 Ground and Launch Systems
- TA13.4 Mission Success
- TA13.4.1 Range Tracking, Surveillance, and Flight Safety Technologies
Other / Cross-cutting:
- TA4 Robotics and Autonomous Systems
- TA4.2 Mobility
- TA4.2.1 Extreme-Terrain Mobility
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