Ionospheric Ground Sensors Prototype: Oblique-Sensing Capability Development, Sounder Integration, and Cyber-Resilient Data Delivery

Space Systems Command (SSC) operates a worldwide network of ground-based ionospheric sensors, the Ionospheric Ground Sensors (IGS), that gives the Air Force, the Space Force, and their mission partners near real-time data on the ionosphere. The network includes 17 Next Generation Ionosonde (NEXION) vertical-incidence radars, 8 ground-based scintillation and total electron content (ISTO) receiver sites, and a central sustainment server. These data feed space weather forecasts, alerts, warnings, and satellite anomaly assessments. Today, each NEXION observes only the ionosphere directly overhead, and operators need a real-time, higher-coverage picture of the ionosphere. The Government needs to prove that this capability can be added to the existing network quickly, securely, and without reducing availability.
## Problem Statement
The Government seeks respondents to prototype, test, and validate: (a) an oblique NEXION sensor baseline as the first phase of oblique sensing; (b) a pilot of rapid, repeatable method to integrate and install the prototype sounder and its associated software and firmware and fully integrate with existing NEXION sites; (c) a pilot of integrating and installing additional ISTO antennas to improve sensing capabilities; (d) a pilot of cyber-resilient patch deployment process, and (e) an integrated engineering, configuration, and data-delivery approach that carries results to the Unified Data Library. This challenge addresses the need to enhance NEXION and ISTO sites, along with the requirement to field oblique sensors.  This challenge may be awarded to multiple vendors, allowing candidate companies to propose to one or multiple LOEs, as necessary.
## Overall Objective
Develop and prototype obliques into an engineering design and baseline for testable and fieldable long-term sensors, which will augment existing NEXION sites and improve the overall data density profile for operational sensors throughout the world.  Integrate and test the prototype sounder, ensuring the software, firmware, and hardware provide network coverage for ionospheric sensing.  Integrate and upgrade ISTO receive antennas in order to improve sensing capabilities.