A -- Novel Satellite Communications (NSC) Workshop

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Special Projects Office (SPO) anticipates releasing a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) during late spring 2006 for Phases III and IV of the Novel Satellite Communications (NSC) Program. The goal of the NSC Program is to develop technologies that enable a satellite communications system to receive signals from a ground-based user located close to multiple ground-based jammers. Phase I of the Program is complete. Phase II of the program is underway and involves development of the necessary algorithms and coding schemes; simulation of their performance; determination of the signal processing hardware required; and identification of the critical technology development necessary to enable the Program goal. Phase III will develop these technologies, build/integrate a real-time NSC demonstration system, and perform the test planning for the NSC tests and demonstrations that will occur in Phase IV. The Phase III and IV BAA is not a down-select from the current Phase II; it is a new competition open to all qualified proposers. To help potential proposers understand the technologies being developed, DARPA intends to hold an NSC Workshop on the 15th and 16th of November 2005 in Fort Worth, Texas. The NSC Workshop will be classified at the collateral SECRET level. At the NSC Workshop, the Phase II contractors will describe their innovations and results. DARPAs Phase III and IV plans will also be reviewed. All attendees at the NSC Workshop must be pre-approved and pre-registered. Attendance may be limited. Potential attendees should indicate their interest no later than October 31, 2005 via e-mail to nsc@darpa.mil.