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Issued patent

Tunable Multi-Tone, Multi-Band, High-Frequency Synthesizer

An issued NASA patent from the Technology Transfer catalog.

View at technology.nasa.gov
Media from NASA Technology Transfer

About this technology

Overview

Innovators at NASA's Glenn Research Center have developed a multi-tone, multi-band, high frequency synthesizer that enables unprecedented satellite communications and atmospheric studies. Because of the increased congestion at currently used frequency bands, it would be game-changing to open other millimeter-wave frequency bands for satellite communications with stations on Earth. When used as part of a CubeSat beacon transmitter, the synthesizer would enable rigorous characterization of atmospheric effects (e.g., rainfall, climate change, hurricane monitoring, cloud cover, and gaseous adsorption). Although the synthesizer can be used on other platforms, the use of the CubeSat allows these studies to be conducted without the huge expense of a larger satellite. The synthesizer can also be used for space-borne active remote sensors such as scatterometers.