In its SDR-1001, a flight-ready, credit-card-sized modular software-defined radio (SDR) module, CesiumAstro delivers four transmit and four receive channels tunable from 300 MHz to 6 GHz for commercial, government, and defense applications. The module, which is tested to NASA GEVS standards, ships with a default BPSK/QPSK modem and optional FPGA Developer Toolkit enabling custom waveform development.
Meant for low-earth-orbit satellites and airborne missions, the SDR-1001, which weighs just 100 grams, offers custom waveform support with 70% of its FPGA resources available for custom designs. It integrates a flexible RF front-end with high-performance FPGA to support a 5-to-7-year mission duration. Mil-Spec connectors provide access to RF signals and enable both SpaceWire and Ethernet connectivity. Integrated redundancy and failover logic provide resiliency from radiation events with onboard telemetry delivering system health and power management information.
The pre-loaded reference modem functionality provides a carrier sense multiple access (CSMA)-based, multi-point mesh networking capability out of the box. When two SDRs establish a connection, data packets from Ethernet, SpaceWire, or serial ports are routed across the link. The company is also developing turnkey waveform support for DVB-S2, DVB-S2X, and CCSDS with Tx data rates up to 500 Mb/s.
An available FPGA development kit allows communications engineers to build and deploy custom waveforms on the SDR-1001’s open and reconfigurable FPGA. The underlying board-support package (BSP) firmware provides a simplified API for controlling the RF front end and data management while enabling full access to baseband IQ data for custom waveform and modem development. Support and training are provided with the FPGA Development Kit to accelerate user success.
The SDR-1001 is offered as a stand-alone module, but also forms 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. Producing low-SWaP, plug-and-play hardware with high-volume manufacturing techniques, Cesium can support volume orders for LEO space and airborne applications.