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NASA Glenn Innovation Inducted into Space Technology Hall of Fame

A technology developed at NASA’s Glenn Research Center to increase the communication speed for space missions and space-based infrastructure was inducted into the Space Technology Hall of Fame April 9, during a private ceremony in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Portrait of Thomas J. Kacpura, Sandra K. Johnson, Joseph A. Downey, and Richard C. Reinhart
Left to right: Thomas J. Kacpura, Sandra K. Johnson, Joseph A. Downey, and Richard C. Reinhart Credits: NASA
Image of NASA/Harris Ka-band SDR hardware.
NASA/Harris Ka-band SDR Credits: NASA

Glenn’s Thomas J. Kacpura, Richard C. Reinhart, Joseph A. Downey and Sandra K. Johnson, along with Harris Corporation staff, were inducted into the hall of fame, which honors scientists, engineers and innovators for developing and adapting space technology to improve life on Earth.

The Ka-Band Software-Defined Radio (SDR) allows for greater access to the electromagnetic spectrum by steering space communications away from the over-crowded S-Band frequencies where commonly used communications devices, such as smart phones, operate.  Instead, the radio provides access to Ka-Band frequencies, which allow for faster transmission of NASA’s scientific data back to Earth where investigators can examine it.

NASA’s space missions and priorities can change, but hardware typically cannot. The Ka-Band SDR can be adapted to new missions by simply adjusting its software. This reprogrammable radio is the first technology of its kind to use reconfigurable software that operates within the Ka-Band frequency.

Following successful 2012 testing aboard the International Space Station ­­as part of NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation testbed, the Harris Corporation further developed the reconfigurable technology for commercial use. Today, more than 250 orbiting software-defined payloads use this technology. 

These systems provide worldwide, satellite-based aircraft and ship tracking capabilities and play an important role in the development of cutting-edge satellite systems. NASA will use next-generation Harris Ka-Band SDRs to support science and technology objectives. 

About the Space Technology Hall of Fame

Created in 1988, the Space Technology Hall of Fame increases public awareness of the benefits of space exploration and encourages further innovation by recognizing entities that effectively adapt space technologies to improve the quality of life for all humanity. It also highlights the importance of these technologies as a return on investment in space exploration.

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Debbie Lockhart
Glenn Research Center, Cleveland
216-433-8655
Deborah.j.lockhart@nasa.gov