R-LAM (RAD-HARD LOCATION AND ATTITUDE MODULE), PROMISES A NEW GENERATION OF BOTH INTEGRATED NAVIGATION MODU…

Public award description

R-LAM (RAD-HARD LOCATION AND ATTITUDE MODULE), PROMISES A NEW GENERATION OF BOTH INTEGRATED NAVIGATION MODULES AND STAND-ALONE NAVIGATION SUBSYSTEMS INCLUDING NAV-GRADE IMU'S, ATOMIC-PRECISION CLOCKS AND GPS UNITS COMPLIANT WITH THE SPACE PLUG AND PLAY ARCHITECTURE (SPA) INITIATIVE. R-LAM LEVERAGES TWO ACTIVE DARPA MTO PROGRAMS. IN THE NAVIGATION-GRADE INTEGRATED MICRO-GYROSCOPE (NG-IMG) PROJECT, ARCHANGEL SYSTEMS, INC. HAS DEVELOPED A MEMS IMU CALLED NG-MARS - A SPINNING MASS IMU WITH NAVIGATION-GRADE PERFORMANCE. IN DARPA'S CHIP-SCALE ATOMIC CLOCK (CSAC) PROGRAM, SYMMETRICOM, INC HAS DEVELOPED A CLOCK THAT IS 50-100X SMALLER AND LOWER POWER THAN ANY PREVIOUS ATOMIC CLOCK TECHNOLOGY, WHILE EXHIBITING SHORT-TERM STABILITY OF Y( )<1X10-10/ 1/2 AND LONG-TERM DRIFT OF<3 X 10-10/MONTH. NASA-GODDARD HAS CONSTRUCTED A RAD-HARD GPS CALLED NAVIGATOR FOR THE MAGNETOSPHERIC MULTISCALE (MMS) PROGRAM. DESIGNED FOR HIGH ELLIPTICAL ORBITS (HEO), NAVIGATOR USES NASA'S GEON ALGORITHMS. CURRENTLY NAVIGATOR WEIGHT AND POWER EXCEEDS R-LAM REQUIREMENTS. NASA-GODDARD COLLEAGUES WILL ADVISE THE R-LAM TEAM AS THEY TRANSITION NAVIGATOR HARDWARE. INTRINSIX CORP. IS AN ASIC DESIGN HOUSE SKILLED IN RAD-HARD MIXED-SIGNAL DESIGN. THEY WILL IMPLEMENT RAD-HARD SUPPORT ELECTRONICS FOR NG-MARS, CSAC AND NAVIGATOR. INTRINSIX IS FAMILIAR WITH NASA'S SPA INITIATIVES AND WILL DESIGN THE R-LAM INTERFACE FOR COMPLIANCE.