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New computer chip cuts cost and adds efficiency to space systems

  • Published
  • By Michael P. Kleiman
  • 377th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M. --  The need for enhanced electronic capacity and capability on military and commercial satellites has significantly increased due to a growing dependence on navigation, communication and surveillance systems.

The dilemma for operators to meet the rising reliance on space-based technology involves the financial bottom line. For example, a custom computer chip for a one-of-a-kind Air Force satellite can cost as much as $20 million in non-recurring engineering for development, evaluation and validation, and if several such pieces have to be installed in the spacecraft, the price tag grows.

Seeking reduced costs and increased effectiveness of its satellite programs' circuitry, the Air Force Research Laboratory's Space Vehicles Directorate partnered with Xilinx, Inc., San José, Calif., for the design of Field Programmable Gate Arrays to withstand the damaging effects of radiation in the cosmos. An FPGA is a chip with an array of prebuilt processing blocks, which can be configured and interconnected by the end user to perform complex processing functions.

"We wanted to do things efficiently and focus on affordability. One way to accomplish both is to use field programmable gate arrays as the basis for satellite computers. By doing so, the cost for the non-recurring research and development significantly decreases," said Creigh Gordon, senior electronics engineer at AFRL's Space Vehicles Directorate. "An FPGA has a huge, positive impact on spacecraft project funding as there can be up to an 80 percent savings in electronic hardware expenses. Military space systems become much more affordable and U.S. commercial endeavors in the cosmos become much more competitive."

Five years ago, the Space Vehicles Directorate initiated the project with Xilinx and provided the up-front investment of $20 million for the design of a radiation-hardened version of the company's Virtex-5™ FPGA. After performing preliminary investigations at the circuit level and exhaustive testing of the chip, Xilinx created a flight version in 2009 designated the Virtex-5 QV™ and it will likely be onboard a test satellite scheduled to launch in November 2010. A crucial benefit of the Virtex-5 QV is that it is 1,000 times less sensitive to space radiation than the commercial equivalent.

"In the past, we've seen our radiation-hardened chips go into nearly every military satellite system and our radiation-hardened microprocessors were also used on NASA's Spirit and Opportunity rovers on the surface of Mars, which was really exciting, " said Mr. Gordon. "We are eager to see where the new radiation-hardened Virtex-5 FPGA chips will go and what new capabilities they will make possible."

This month several major satellite builders will be taking delivery of the Virtex-5 QV prototypes as part of an early access program. Production units will be available in mid-2011.

"With the Virtex-5 FPGA, the focus is on affordability in digital electronics. Our investment in this project has enabled the Air Force, as well as other U.S. government entities such as NASA and commercial space ventures, to benefit from the technology," said Mr. Gordon. "There is an excitement of seeing the results of your work operating in space. The Virtex-5 QV will have a huge impact on all of the Air Force's space systems."