Robust Affordble Flight Termination (RAFT) System

Initial research for the Robust Affordable Flight Termination (RAFT) System investigated existing and developing technologies for replacing the communications channel between the Range Safety Officer and the Vehicle with one or more alternatives. Thespecific types of vehicles addressed were Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAVs) that require Over the Horizon (OTH) communication technology to support Flight Safety.Out of 60 potential technology candidates that included both terrestrial and space-based solutions and a subsequent examination of a small subset of selected candidate technologies, IRIDIUM was the recommended choice for the RAFT System.This project's objectives are:1. Confirm that IRIDIUM will satisfy RAFT requirements by performing risk reduction activities. Performance to be verified include data throughput, data quality, and latency.2. Select an optimum RAFT interface technique for accessing service networks. Multiple techniques exist for accessing the IRIDIUM network, and these alternate techniques will be evaluated, with an emphasis on latency. These techniques include a"seamless" interface via use of the ARINC AviNet/GlobalLink networks.3. Verify the feasibility of the RAFT approach and architecture by performing an end-to-end demonstration using a UAV, or other available test vehicle.