Open Call for Innovative Defense-Related Dual-Purpose Technologies/Solutions with a Clear Air Force Stakeholder Need

Abstract: PlanetiQ is implementing a commercial constellation of smallsats flying proprietary GNSS RO receivers that deliver COSMIC-2 quality occultations at much lower cost to enable 50,000 occultations per day, a factor of 10 increase in sampling density over COSMIC-2, to greatly improve weather and space weather analysis and forecast accuracy and applications. Like COSMIC-2, PlanetiQ’s GNSS-RO delivers very high 2000 V/V signal to noises required to routinely profile down to the surface of the planet, profiling the planetary boundary layer and lower troposphere conditions including water vapor at 100 meter intervals. This unprecedented combined quantity and quality of RO data will drive the weather analyses closer to truth yielding better forecasts. The USAF has supported the COSMIC and COSMIC-2 demonstration missions, with the data proving out to be so impactful, the USAF, NOAA and others have been using GNSS-RO data operationally. Our instrument and data products have been designed from the ground up to be operational at an order of magnitude more quantity and less expensive to further improve the accuracies of the weather forecast and weather models. In addition, low latency monitoring of the Ionosphere Electron Density Profiles and Scintillation products to aid in communications and navigation operations.