Miniature Command and Data Handling Sub-System for Nanosatellites

The goal of the Tessera’s Phase II work proposed here is to demonstrate the effectiveness of advanced packaging technology for miniaturizing a nanosatellite C&DH sub-system. The key objectives along the path to this goal are: 1) re-designing an existing small satellite C&DH sub-system with advanced packaging technology, 2) fabricating prototypes of the re-designed C&DH sub-system, 3) performing functional testing of the re-designed C&DH sub-system, and 4) comparing the performance and other metrics of the re-designed C&DH sub-system to the previous design. Tessera will use chip-scale and stacked packaging technology plus system-in-package design approaches to miniaturize the C&DH sub-system. The new C&DH sub-system will be designed to be compatible with the AFRL test bed so that: 1) the performance can be verified in a standard test environment, and 2) it will be compatible with other components being developed under the DARPA / AFRL nanosatellite program. Miniaturization with Tessera’s technology will also provide benefits in performance, reliability, and cost. A successful demonstration of a miniaturized C&DH sub-system will accelerate the incorporation of advanced packaging technologies into nanosatellite components, with the resulting benefit of seeing progress toward the DoD’s goals for space technology.