IGF::OT::IGF NASA RESEARCH ANNOUNCEMENT AWARD - ADVANCED TUNABLE SEED LASER EFFORT TO BE CONDUCTED UNDER THIS CONTRACT: THE GOAL OF THIS EFFORT IS TO ACHIEVE A LOW COST, SIZE, WEIGHT AND POWER SEED DIODE LASER THAT WILL TIP THE SCALES FOR MARKET PENETRATION OF METHANE DETECTION SYSTEMS IN COMMERCIAL AND GOVERNMENT APPLICATIONS, INCLUDING NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION (NASA) REMOTE SENSING APPLICATIONS. THIS LASER REPRESENTS A TIPPING POINT TECHNOLOGY IMPROVEMENT IN THE SEED LASER TECHNOLOGY AND WILL ENABLE SEVERAL DIFFERENT ROBUST AND COMPACT IMPLEMENTATIONS OF A LIDAR TRANSMITTERS FOR A METHANE INSTRUMENT, NEEDED FOR HIGH SPATIAL RESOLUTION, ACCURACY AND PRECISION MEASUREMENTS FROM ORBIT OR FROM UAV PLATFORMS. THE SAME TECHNOLOGY HAS SEVERAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS SUCH AS PIPELINE LEAK DETECTION AND METHANE STORAGE FACILITIES MONITORING. THIS EFFORT IS THE RESULT OF A PROPOSAL SUBMITTED BY FREEDOM PHOTONICS FOR AWARD UNDER THE NASA HEADQUARTERS SPACE TECHNOLOGY MISSION DIRECTORATE (STMD) NASA RESEARCH ANNOUNCEMENT (NRA) ENTITLED SPACE TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, DEMONSTRATION, AND INFUSION 2015, APPENDIX NNH15ZOA001N-15STMD-001. OVERSIGHT FOR THIS DEVELOPMENT EFFORT WILL BE THROUGH STMDS GAME CHANGING DEVELOPMENT (GCD) PROGRAM OFFICE. THE SCOPE OF THIS EFFORT IS AS FOLLOWS: FREEDOM PHOTONICS WILL WORK IN COLLABORATION WITH OUR NASA GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER (GSFC) PARTNERS TO DEVELOP A SEED LASER TO BE USED IN THE EXISTING GSFC METHANE LIDAR TO DEMONSTRATE AND VALIDATE METHANE MEASUREMENTS ON THE GROUND AND FROM AN AIRBORNE PLATFORM (IF POSSIBLE). THE LASER WILL BE ELECTRICALLY FAST-TUNABLE AROUND THE METHANE ABSORPTION LINE AND IT WILL GENERATE OPTICAL POWER WITH A NARROW LINEWIDTH. THE LASER WILL CONSIST OF A FAST TUNABLE DBR LASER INTEGRATED WITH A HIGH-POWERED, TAPERED OPTICAL AMPLIFIER, USING BUTT-JOINT GROWTH TECHNOLOGY. THIS EFFORT WILL CULMINATE WITH HARDWARE DELIVERABLES TO GSFC MEETING APPLICATION PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS.