Low Cost, Tailor able Avionics for Rapid Response Satellites

A significant element of costs and development time for a satellite is the complexity of the avionics (command and control, interface electronics, data storage, etc.). Typically, the approach is to design a unique system for a specific mission incurring high costs and risk associated with developing a once-use only system. Additionally, these systems have not been very flexible and are typically not able to adjust to changing mission demands or correct unforeseen design errors that might not have identified prior to launch. SEAKR's ReConfigurable Computers (RCC) offers a flexible reprogrammable platform that could be used in a number of spacecraft applications from interface electronics controls, guide and navigation control, high end processing of sensor data such as loss-less compression or image processing, robotic controls, real time encryption/decryption, packet switching, or target recognition and identification. The RCC architecture reduces risk, costs, and schedule for satellite missions by providing a reprogrammable space based platform that could be used for a number of different spacecraft avionic applications. For this proposal, SEAKR will develop an engineering flight design of a two CoProcessor (COP), Virtex II-Pro RCC (RCC3). In phase II, the flight design could be easily manufactured and delivered in time to fly on the AFRL JSW-D2, Advanced Responsive Tactically Effective Military Imaging Spectrometer (ARTEMIS) satellite formerly known as TACSAT-III.