Space. It’s dark, deep, and desolate, with more to discover. What was once believed to be science-fiction is now reality through technological advancement.
Since the earliest days of the “space race,” space exploration has relied on innovation to overcome the challenges posed by the harsh environmental conditions. In addition to solving launch to orbit equations, lifespan, durability and performance have been critical factors for mission success.
From Apollo 11 to four generations of Mars rovers and landers, BAE Systems has enabled space exploration by extending the operational lives of electronic systems far beyond their expected durations. Our products and services play a key role in planetary exploration, communications, national security, surveillance, and weather operations. They are at the heart of satellites across the solar system and help hundreds of millions of people each day with GPS, satellite radio, weather data, and other daily tasks.
The power of rad-hard technology
Radiation and extreme temperatures are environmental factors that can damage on-board electronics, accelerate component aging, and lead to degraded performance or failure. High reliability, radiation-hardened (rad-hard) designs are required to overcome these challenges. The BAE Systems family of space-based electronics can withstand radiation doses a million times stronger than a fatal human dose; that durability is valued on missions and on-orbit satellites. As a platform-agnostic supplier, we develop and produce high-reliability space products, from standard components and single-board computers, to complete system payloads.
A single board computer (SBC) is a complete, functioning computer in which the microprocessor, input/output functions, memory, and other features are all built on a single circuit board. For more than 20 years, the company’s RAD750® SBC has been a space industry workhorse. It has powered more than 100 satellites that carry out a variety of missions, including playing a key role in the Navigation Payload on GPSIII satellite constellation. It has been available in multiple variations at the 250 nanometer (nm), 180nm, and 150nm nodes, allowing customization to address the demands of any operation.
Expanding capabilities through advanced processors
Rad-hard technology combined with high-reliability design techniques have improved space system performance to support growing mission needs. What accounts for the success? The answer: advanced processors. By packing more processing power, memory, and input/output (I/O) capability into a smaller footprint, physical space and mass is freed up to enable high-performing payloads and lower cost spacecraft.
Our RAD5545® SBC is an advanced radiation-hardened space processor. It provides more powerful processor cores, hardware accelerated I/O, and advanced security features to deliver exponential improvements in size, speed, and power efficiency. The RAD5545 SBC can be integrated into a variety of payloads, including software-define radios, and represents a significant advancement in electronic systems for functions across defense and commercial sectors.
For missions that do not require the same processing of the RAD5545 SBC, BAE Systems is developing the RAD510™ SBC. The RAD510 SBC will use software compatible with both the RAD750 and RAD5545 SBCs allowing developers to reduce software development cost. It will provide the option to decrease power consumption and scale performance capability across a wide range of applications.
Flexibility in design for each mission
Design flexibility is critical when it comes to supporting space missions. BAE Systems’ rad-hard application specific integrated circuits (ASIC) storefront provides design, qualification, and production services that give customers a competitive advantage. Compared to designs using off-the-shelf hardware, ASICs provide unique processing capabilities with lower size, mass, power consumption, and recurring cost while still allowing customers to implement their own algorithms and architectures.
We are now extending our storefront offering by developing a radiation-hardened, high-reliability circuit library in a 12-nanometer node. This new RH12™ technology enables more transistors to fit on each chip at reduced power consumption per operation. The circuit library includes complex functions such as microcontrollers, I/O, and memory interfaces using IP cores from BAE Systems and commercial providers. Each IP core is radiation-hardened, tested, and qualified for space applications. Once development completes, the U.S. defense industrial base will have a proven, low-risk ASIC development capability for demanding space applications.
Changing landscapes and innovative technologies
As missions evolve and the radiation-tolerant market grows, customers are seeking small satellites in shorter duration and lower Earth orbit. The objective is a constellation of small satellites to provide resilient global network coverage while requiring less radiation shielding. To meet the customer need, BAE Systems has adapted technologies and processes with size, weight, power, and cost at the forefront. This allows the technology developed for rad-hard solutions to be used and applied to lower-cost, rad-tolerant capabilities.
Leveraging expertise in areas such as radio frequency systems, radiation-hardened electronics, and secure communications across domains, BAE Systems has a portfolio of trusted products. They are designed to operate successfully in these harsh environments and enable space customers to command, control, and communicate no matter the altitude.
Space Systems
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