Rad-Tolerant, High-Rel Comm Interface Bound for Space

Microchip’s ATA6571RT CAN FD transceiver supports data rates up to 5 Mb/s for a radiation-tolerant, high-reliability communication interface solution for space applications.
Nov. 5, 2025
2 min read

What you'll learn:

  • Features of the ATA6571RT transceiver.
  • How the transceiver is built for space applications.

Empowering scalable designs while adding to the redundancy and fault tolerance in related systems, Microchip Technology's radiation-tolerant ATA6571RT CAN FD transceiver is a high-reliability communication solution designed specifically for space applications. Supporting flexible data rates up to 5 Mb/s, the transceiver is well-suited for subsystems in satellites and spacecraft that require robust and efficient data transmission.

The ATA6571RT offers significant advantages over legacy CAN solutions, which are typically limited to a 1-Mb/s communication bandwidth. It has the ability to support larger payloads of up to 64 bytes per frame, enhancing efficiency and reducing bus load. Backward compatible with classic CAN, the transceiver offers a smooth transition for existing systems.

Features include a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) mechanism that provides enhanced error detection, increasing reliability for safety-critical applications. For easy integration at the PCB level, it remains pin-distribution compatible with original commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) plastic or ceramic versions.

Designed to withstand harsh space conditions with resistance to single-event effects (SEE) and total ionizing dose (TID), the transceiver also features local and remote wake-up support for power efficiency, as well as short-circuit and overtemperature protection. 

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About the Author

Alix Paultre

Editor-at-Large, Microwaves & RF

Alix is Editor-at-Large for Microwaves & RF

An Army veteran, Alix Paultre was a signals intelligence soldier on the East/West German border in the early ‘80s, and eventually wound up helping launch and run a publication on consumer electronics for the U.S. military stationed in Europe. Alix first began in this industry in 1998 at Electronic Products magazine, and since then has worked for a variety of publications, most recently as Editor-in-Chief of Power Systems Design.

Alix currently lives in Wiesbaden, Germany.

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