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

The US relies on space-based systems not only for national defense, but these systems also underpin our modern way of life. Because of the increasingly congested and contested nature of the orbital environment, it is more difficult to maintain an up-to-date catalog of all resident space objects (RSOs) and to detect potential on-orbit threats. Knowing what an RSO is and what it is doing at all times has become critical to the space situational awareness (SSA) required for the defense of US space systems. In this SBIR effort, Numerica proposes to (i) mature and demonstrate a novel approach to the low-cost daytime tracking of satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) that leverages the Numerica Telescope Network (NTN), and (ii) to engage with end users and other key stakeholders within the USAF’s SSA and BMC2 communities, identify product-market fit between related NTN capabilities and USAF pain points, formulate and execute pilot trials, and ultimately transition a global low-cost optical LEO tracking capability to the warfighter.