We anticipate high volume product opportunities within the DOD and non-Government commercial markets. Within DOD, applications in communications and radar systems exist for advanced microwave components. For military communications, the benefits are higher bandwidth, multipoint links, and low payload weight for planes, missiles, and tanks. Programs within the DOD such as the Army's WIN-T (Warfighter Information Network - Tactical) require advanced microwave components in order to meet the demanding applications of satellite communications while on-the-move. Other key market opportunities driving future growth exist in the mobile backhaul, wireless enterprise bridge, wireless fiber lateral emulation, government and public safety networks, WirelessHD, and WiMax.
Our primary goal in this project is to provide NASA with robust space-capable MMW interconnection technology that is lower cost, lower weight, and has improved performance over current technology. The initial application is MMW radars for advanced cloud and precipitation measurements and for Mars landing sensors. Candidate NASA missions are future landers for the Mars Exploration Program and the Aerosol/Cloud/Ecosystems (ACE) Mission. Reducing size and weight of radar instruments will allow more mission capability on each platform, increasing NASA return on investment in these missions. Instrument constraints on size and weight in NASA unmanned aerial vehicles could also benefit from the PolyStrata RF backplane technology as well as future terrestrial lunar communication systems (Constellation Program) which require miniaturized, low weight, reliable components at Ka band frequencies.
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