STTR Phase I:Constellation of Nanosatellite Radars for Near-Hourly, Global Ocean Surface Vector Winds

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project is a significant improvement in the accuracy of weather forecasts by increasing the refresh rate of sea wind measurements ten-fold. This forecast improvement will increase the economic competitiveness of the United States by improving efficiency in maritime, agriculture, and logistics industries. Improved weather forecasts will advance the health and welfare of the American public by enabling earlier storm warnings that save thousands of lives. Improved weather forecasts will support national defense, while also saving hundreds of millions of dollars in false-alarm hurricane evacuations. Sea wind data will also directly benefit maritime operators, including recreational sailors, ocean carriers and fishers. Wind map and forecast subscriptions from maritime customers represent a $3 billion commercial opportunity. This STTR Phase I project proposes to study the feasibility of increasing the refresh rate of sea wind measurements ten-fold using a constellation of nanosatellite radars (scatterometers). Current satellites for measuring sea winds are prohibitively expensive and performance has not substantially improved since they were introduced decades ago. The objective of this research is to evaluate the measurement accuracy, cost, and refresh rate of the proposed nanosatellite scatterometers. Additional objectives study the regulatory feasibility, post-processing feasibility, and commercial feasibility. The research includes calculations of the radar signal, heat, data geolocation, cost, mass, data rate, latency, radio interference, and license feasibility. The research also includes simulations of the radar measurement geometry, the post-processing, the wind maps that will be generated by the scatterometer, as well as the constellation, its operations, and its replenishment requirements. The studies in this project answer key feasibility and performance questions posed by potential users. The results, such as data quality, availability, and simulated sample data, will be used in customer discovery to ensure the needs of potential users are met. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.