ORS Selects Space Micro to Develop Avionics for Responsive Space Missions

SAN DIEGO, CA – April 12, 2010 – Space Micro Inc has announced a $100,000 award by the Department of Defense’s Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) Office for a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract. The contract is to develop an avionics package that is small, lightweight, modular, and low power for responsive space missions utilizing CubeSats or other nanosatellites.

This contract will build upon Space Micro’s existing modular radiation hardened satellite avionics package, called the ProtonX-Box™, but will focus on reducing the size, weight, and power requirements to better meet the needs of CubeSats or other nanosatellites that might be used for quick turn (responsive) satellites. These satellites will have the capability to launch on demand in order to quickly support ground forces operations. The final product will consist of several stacked circuit boards that can be quickly swapped out to meet specific mission requirements.

“Usually, these circuit boards are treated as individual components, which complicates the satellite and results in higher costs and longer timelines,” said David Strobel, Space Micro’s CEO. “Our avionics system will be designed specifically for responsive space missions, and will be the first modular, plug-and-play-compatible avionics system that offers all the required features to manage a satellite and its payload in a single unit.”

Nearly all satellites require a command and data handling subsystem, a power management subsystem, and a payload/instrument computational subsystem that can be customized to meet specific mission needs. To be effective in a responsive CubeSat, however, these subsystems must be quickly and cost-effectively selected and integrated into a bus to meet very short mission timelines. The resulting avionics system would be small enough to fit into a CubeSat, yet powerful enough to run an ESPA-class satellite.

Space Micro Inc specializes in payload and communications equipment for satellites, and is a pioneer and leader in technologies that enable COTS electronic devices to be deployed in space. Radiation in space is damaging to electronics. Space Micro developed patented technologies to mitigate radiation effects on state-of-art commercial electronics. Space Micro offers space-qualified radiation hardened microelectronics, from radiation hardened by design (RHBD) technologies to space rated single board computers (RH SBC). Space Micro offers the world’s fastest space radiation hardened line of Proton™ Series RH computers, including the Proton200k™ DSP-based RH SBC, Proton300k™ SRAM-based reconfigurable space computer, and Proton400k™ and Proton400k L™ multi-core PowerPC-based RH SBC. In addition to satellite computers, Space Micro offers satellite communications equipment such as a micro radiation hardened software defined radio (µSDR™), Space-Ground Link System (RH SGLS / RH SGLS-USB / RH STDN transponders), RH Ka-Band transmitter, X/UHF/VHF-Band transponders, and power amplifiers (RH PA). Other Space Micro developments include TTMR™ (Time Triple Modular Redundancy), H-CORE™ circuitry for single events functional interrupt (SEFI) mitigation, SEMS™ Space Weather Box, and Divert Attitude Control System (RH DACS). Technologies currently under development include DDR2 SDRAM memory for advanced space processors. Space Micro is an employee-owned company based in San Diego, Calif., USA.

AF approved: 377ABW-2010-0575

Space Micro Inc
10401 Roselle St, Suite 400
San Diego, CA 92121

Ed Li
(858) 332-0700

This release was published on openPR.