Passive Coherent Location (PCL) for Launch Vehicles

This project has developed innovative algorithms and a flexible, scalable processing architecture to detect and track launch vehicles by exploiting scattered radiation from commercial high power radio and television broadcast stations. The system is completely passive and emits no radiation. We have shown that a mobile (e.g. van mounted), low-cost, rapidly deployable, high-performance capability is feasible using recently available COTS integrated microelectronics. System performance, tracking accuracy, and implementation feasibility were confirmed by analysis and simulation in phase I. A prototype will be developed in phase II and used to demonstrate tracking accuracy in preparation for production and deployment in phase III.