Solstar Space (Solstar) has been selected by AFWERX for an SBIR Phase I contract in the amount of $74,752 to address pressing challenges for the Department of the Air Force (DAF) to connect spacecraft in LEO and beyond.
The contract supports research to support further development of Solstar’s space-rated WiFi Access Points and client WiFi Network Cards. The solutions will be engineered to support Rendezvous, Proximity Operations, and Docking (RPOD) to support In-Space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing (ISAM), scientific and medical experiment data, and other applications.
Solstar WiFi access points and client cards will be engineered to meet the requirements of spaceflight missions for today and the future including:
- Radiation and temperature tolerance
- Compatibility with the lunar surface environment
- High-power radio frequency (RF)
- Elimination of cable runs
- Future-proof design for extended operation
- Software defined and support for all IEEE 802.11 standards with API based remote management and updates
“While WiFi has been demonstrated aboard the International Space Station using one-off non-radiation-tolerant units, today there isn’t a commercially available space-grade WiFi solution. The usefulness of WiFi in space has been proven via improvised solutions with limited capability and applicability. Solstar’s design will provide full WiFi capabilities and features and supports any WiFi-enabled device or application. As the requirements for WiFi connected capabilities continue to evolve and increase in LEO, cislunar, and lunar surface applications, reliable, secure WiFi solutions will be essential to fulfilling important mission objectives,” said Brian Barnett, Founder and CEO, Solstar Space. “Solstar Space WiFi will serve a wide range of space missions including LEO space stations and service spacecraft, lunar gateways, transfer vehicles, landers, and modules, and lunar surface habitats, vehicles, spacesuits, and IoT mesh networks and wireless bridges.”
Barnett continued, “Solstar WiFi access points and client cards will meet the requirements of a broad range of space missions including LEO space stations and service spacecraft, lunar gateways, transfer vehicles, landers, and modules, and lunar surface habitats, vehicles, spacesuits, and IoT mesh networks and wireless bridges. The need for space WiFi is virtually unlimited and growing.”