Asst. Professor Hwang Lee has been awarded Principal Investigator of a $400K one year grant from the prestigious National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) Directors Innovation Initiative (DII) program for a seed research project entitled "Photonic-Crystal Satellite Reflectors and Radiators: A New Approach to Satellite Thermal Control."

Prof. Lee had proposed a comprehensive theoretical and experimental study on the use of photonic crystals to enhance the thermal control capability for more efficient and reliable satellite design. NRO satellites contain extremely thermally sensitive hardware so precise thermal management is essential, and becomes a critical consideration in designing satellites that require more power and longer lifetime. Photonic crystals are a new class of microphotonic periodic structures that allow the complete engineering of the electromagnetic radiation properties of the satellite surface. By dramatically improving the ratio between visible absorptance and infrared emittance in a lightweight, compact and switchable photonic crystal device, it becomes possible to achieve higher power density and to enable the satellites with new mission capabilities.

The DII Program is managed by the Advanced Systems and Technologies Directorate of the NRO. The DII is the NRO's primary program to identify key concepts and ideas, which will be used to shape the future NRO, from developers not traditionally associated with the NRO. To do this, the program solicits far beyond the traditional NRO contractor base to tap into the talent available in all types of U.S. corporations, academia, and other U.S. government agencies and labs.

DII projects are awarded to determine technological feasibility of high technological risk, potentially high payoff ideas. Projects are selected on an annual basis as a result of parallel competitive solicitations. Approximately 25% of DII projects to date have been continued for further development beyond the seed project stage by other offices inside and outside the NRO.