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Spinoff story
Single-Photon Lidar Maps Ground Features Quickly, Efficiently
A real-world story of NASA technology finding a life beyond the mission.
About this technology
Overview
When John Degnan left Goddard Space Flight Center and joined Lanham, Maryland-based Sigma Space Corporation, four decades of NASA laser-ranging experience came with him. Sigma licensed two of Degnan_s Goddard patents and developed low-energy, high-fidelity, airborne single-photon lidar (SPL) imagers. They provide reconnaissance, measure biomass, and map topography for the military, local governments, and companies. Sigma also helped Goddard develop the SPL device that will monitor polar ice on the ICESat-2 mission.