The Air Force Research Laboratory’s Space Vehicles Directorate has awarded Verus Research a $750K, 2-year Phase II Small Business Innovative Research contract to design and develop an antenna prototype to help mitigate high energy electrons trapped in the Earth’s radiation belts using very low frequency (VLF) whistler modes. The design will be suitable for space flight.

Under this program, Verus Research has teamed with LoadPath, a wholly owned business unit of Redwire Corporation, and Georgia Tech Research Corporation to meet AFRL’s needs and continue Verus Research’s original research in the development of a large deployable parametric antenna capable of remediating the Van Allen Belts after a high-altitude nuclear event.  Several key technologies will be matured in this effort, including a large (10-meter radius), space-deployable hoop antenna, a high power very low frequency resonant drive, and a novel plasma density wave source.