BAE Systems announced the creation of a new generation for its renowned space computer. The significant improvements over its predecessor will open up humanity to space missions previously deemed impossible.
Called the RAD5545TM single-board computer (SBC), the device is radiation-hardened to withstand the harsh conditions beyond Earth. Areas such as processing capacity, size, speed, and power-efficiency all boast advancements upon its earlier version, the RAD750® SBC.
“We’ve been delivering radiation-hardened components for almost three decades, and our customers have come to trust the performance, reliability, and longevity of our technology,” says Dave Rea, director of On-board Processing and Advanced Technology at BAE Systems.
“The RAD5545 SBC is the next step in the evolution of space computers. It’s the most technologically advanced radiation-hardened, general-purpose processor for space applications,” Rea adds.
Multiple cards can be replaced by a single RAD5545 SBC. Computational throughput, storage, and bandwidth add to the laundry list of improvements.
According to BAE Systems, those supplementary abilities will “provide spacecraft with the ability to conduct new missions, including those requiring encryption processing, multiple operating systems, ultra high-resolution image processing, autonomous operation, and simultaneous support for multiple payloads…”
The missions described above were previously marked as infeasible using older single-board computers.
Filed Under: Aerospace + defense
