The primary innovation enabling both active and passive measurements through a single system, while allowing for beam scanning, is the separation of transmit and receive beam synthesis processes. With this approach, the antenna comprises several linear arrays, each with its own transceiver. The key components to this system are the transceiver, antenna, and multichannel digital receiver subsystems. The antenna design was described in " Low-Profile, Dual-Wavelength, Dual-Polarized Antenna" (gsc-15706-1), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 34, No. 1 (January 2010), p. 26.

Remote Sensing Solutions developed the Hybrid Ocean Wind Sensor (HOWS) concept through the NASA SBIR program. HOWS is designed to map ocean vector wind in low to hurricane-level winds, and non-precipitating and precipitating conditions. It acquires active and passive measurements through a single aperture at two wavelengths, two polarizations, and multiple incidence angles. Its low profile, compact geometry, and low power consumption permits installation on aircraft platforms, including high-altitude unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

Partners and Related Technologies and Missions:

• NASA SBIR

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