Reconfigurable, Commercial-based Avionics for Responsive Microsatellite Targets

An initiative currently being led by the Advanced Systems group, calls for using microsatellites to place known bodies in orbit for radar calibration and testing of detection and discrimination techniques, designated the Microsatellite Target System (MTS). MicroSat Systems, Inc. (MSI), a small satellite developer significant experience in low cost, rapid integration and test, is developing the Reconfigurable, Commercial-based Avionics for Responsive Microsatellite Targets (ARMT) to serve as the core of MTS and reduce the cost of future buys of this innovative system. ARMT is based upon the Intelligent Power and Data Ring (IPDR) avionics architecture and consists of a ring topology of identical, modular nodes interconnected via standardized harnessing. Each node function can be specified independently by the end-user through real-time, software/firmware uploads, tailoring spacecraft system capability and price through the addition or removal of nodes. The multi-node, ring topology enables swapping of the processing functions between any node facilitating system redundancy. To support fault tolerance, IPDR has the ability to recognize and isolate either hard or high-resistance shorts, and open circuits. A SEU immune high performance processor is at the heart of each node allowing confidence against radiation induced upsets on orbit.