CesiumAstro announced the release of the ready for flight SDR-1001 modular with credit card size software defined radio (SDR) for commercial, government, and defense applications tested to NASA GEVS standards and available in bulk. Featuring 4 TX and 4 RX channels that can be tuned from 300 MHz to 6 GHz, the SDR-1001 comes with a default BPSK / QPSK modem and optional FPGA Developer’s Guide, allows the development of a custom waveform.
Designed to meet the demanding launch requirements as well as the extreme conditions of space and air, the SDR-1001 integrates a flexible RF interface with a high-performance FPGA to maintain a mission duration of 5 to 7 years. Mil-Spec connectors provide access to radio frequency signals and allow both SpaceWire and Ethernet connectivity. The integrated redundancy logic and fault tolerance ensure resistance to radiation events with on-board telemetry, providing information on system health and power management.
The preloaded functionality of the reference modem provides a multiple media access (CSMA), based on multipoint network capability, is ready. When two SDRs establish a connection, data packets from Ethernet, SpaceWire, or a serial port are routed through the connection. Cesium also develops turnkey signal support for DVB-S2, DVB-S2X and CCSDS with data rates up to 500Mb / s.
Cesium’s FPGA development kit allows communications engineers to build and deploy custom waveforms on the SDR-1001’s open and reconfigurable FPGA. The main board support package (BSP) firmware provides a simplified API for front-end RF management and data management, while giving full access to the mainband IQ data for a custom waveform and modem. Support and training are provided with the FPGA Development Kit to accelerate user success.
“The SDR-1001 is a key component of Cesium’s product portfolio of modular payload solutions,” said Shay Sabripur, founder and CEO of CesiumAstro. “We are focused on providing high-reliability solutions on a large scale to meet the growing needs of new space and air markets, using the latest technological advances.”
The SDR-1001 is available as a stand-alone module, but also represents the backbone of other cesium products, including fully integrated L-Band, S-Band, X-Band, Ku-Band and Ka-Band connectivity and phased array solutions.