2012 03

As a result of their large reflector widely-spaced coherent arraying demonstration in 2010, Specialized Arrays’ founders were offered a sole source NASA HQ contract in 2012.

NASA selects IntelArrays (now Specialized Arrays) for a sole source KaBOOM contract; solicitation number:  NNH12429421R   Notice Type: Pre-solicitation (fbo.gov)

“IntelArrays’ principals [Martin & Minear] are the originators of and the only team in the world that has demonstrated operationally feasible, real-time radio frequency adaptive optics techniques.    Their unique qualifications will enable future architecture of the radar system and technologies that will enable capability and performance enhancement of orders of a greater magnitude while at the same time improving the operability and decreasing the operations and maintenance costs of the current system.    NASA/HQ intends to award a sole source contract to IntelArrays, Inc. The sole source authority used is only one responsible source 10 U.S.C 2304(c)(1)  Only one responsible source and no other supplies or series will satisfy agency requirements (See FAR6.302-1).”

 Update:  Specialized Arrays provided nine months of system engineering, analysis, range set-up and ops center configuration support before declining the sole-source offer due to last hour government IP requests determined to be detrimental to the start-up business. 

Without Specialized Array’s further participation, the work at KSC continued from 2012-1017 under the names, KaBOOM and Karnac.  That extended five years effort was unable to produce an operationally feasible coherent transmit arraying solution.  In 2018, the site was closed and restored to its natural state.  Antennas and other hardware were placed into storage elsewhere.