Rapid Innovation Funds Program - Shipboard Atmospheric Extinction Lidar

Physical Sciences Inc. was awarded contract N68335-20-C-0351 on 29 May 2020 in support of the Rapid Innovation Funds Program. The primary objective of the Shipboard Atmospheric Extinction Lidar (SAEL) RIF program is to adapt the technology developed under the Compact Lidar for Continuous Monitoring of Atmospheric Extinction Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) programs to create an advanced prototype that is ruggedized and weatherized and configured as a testbed capable of both land-based and ship-board deployment. The specific technical objectives of the RIF program are to: (1) Adapt the SAEL design for shipboard deployment including accommodation of ship’s motion, ruggedization, weatherization, and automated data processing; (2) Fabricate an advanced engineering prototype and subject it to limited and prioritized environmental testing; and (3) Verify and validate operational capabilities of the advanced prototype through local testing of the system against a commercial ceilometer, followed by ship-based tests on the University of New Hampshire’s (UNH) Research Vehicle Gulf Challenger.