The wave of commercially developed communications and remote-sensing satellites seeks to balance costs, capability, size, weight, and power consumption in the latest new space designs.

Contested space, where nations compete for military dominance outside Earth’s atmosphere, is driving many military space platforms, but commercial space and small satellites continue to change the way the military suppliers of space electronics approach radiation-hardened component design from testing to deployment.

The fast growth of small satellites and their lower life cycle and launch costs has created a sizable market for low-cost electronic components that have radiation-resistant characteristics.

Rick Hearn explains how the key computing elements of an avionics system must all be designed with safety in mind and endure stringent testing to prove they can meet the required Design Assurance Level (DAL).

Given its complexity and the critical applications for which it is designed, embedded avionics software must undergo a rigorous approval and testing process before it can be approved as airworthy.

The risk of failure for avionics equipment on-board spacecraft due to radiation exposure is a critical issue for launchers, re-entry vehicles, space habitats and satellites

Introducing the Smart Backplane subsystem (KAM/CSB/12U), a rugged multi-slot chassis designed specifically for data acquisition, data processing, and recording in radiation-intensive space environments.

The rise of the Internet of Things (IoT) and Industrial IoT (IIoT) is not the only reason for increased demand for safety- and security-related solutions.