Sensor Open System Architecture (SOSA) Architectural Research

This SBIR Phase 2 project will continue the development of a Radiation Tolerant, VITA74-compliant platform for C4ISR applications for small spacecraft. The small spacecraft industry has been successful in using Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) components to enable low-cost high-performance space missions. The drawback of this approach is that it sacrifices the reliability of the spacecraft, limiting the applicability of these methods in more critical missions. To address this limitation, this project will continue the development of a VITA74-compliant platform to implement a high-reliability, high-performance backplane architecture for small spacecraft. The goal of this platform is to increase the radiation tolerance of the spacecraft electronics without incurring in significant cost increases. For this purpose, the proposed platform will combine a limited set of Radiation Hardened/Tolerant components with high-performance COTS parts in a backplane architecture designed to enable the implementation of fault mitigation methods.The proposed Phase 2 effort will obtain a radiation-tested prototype of the critical components of the proposed technology that fit the VITA74 formfactor and will develop a methodology to quickly apply the proposed technology to existing and future high-performance missions.