Mercury Systems has announced the first prototype shipments of the company’s 3U TRRUST-Stor VPX RT space-qualified secure solid-state drives (SSD) to two leading suppliers of LEO satellites.
Designed to operate reliably in high radiation environments, this device is the first commercial SSD leveraging VITA 78 SpaceVPX standards to reduce customer cost and mitigate program risk. In addition to commercial satellite applications, this device is ideally suited for high-altitude aircraft, airborne weapons and mission-critical ground computing systems.
Mercury Systems' TRRUST-Stor VPX RT space-qualified secure solid-state drive is the first commercial SSD to leverage VITA 78 SpaceVPX standards.
Photo is courtesy of the company.
At the heart of the SSD is Mercury’s proprietary NAND controller with BuiltSECURE error correcting code (ECC) algorithms. These ECC algorithms mitigate radiation-induced byte errors, thereby enabling sustainable reliability and fault tolerance that are not available with competing storage solutions. As Mercury maintains 10 percent authority over the controller and its implementation, this device is readily customizable for non-traditional use cases when deemed critical to a customer’s program.
Honored with a Platinum award in the category of Trusted Computing in the 2018 Military & Aerospace Electronics Innovators Awards program, Mercury’s TRRUST-Stor VPX RT device provides long-term data integrity. Engineered into an open standards platform, customers can seamlessly integrate this device into the SpaceVPX ecosystem of processing boards and chassis without sacrificing affordability. As the need for radiation-tolerant devices for LEO satellites proliferates, system development around the SpaceVPX open standard architecture will be integral in supporting the growth of the space market.
Mercury’s dedication to all aspects of industrial security extends far beyond product design and into the cadence of its daily operations. The Company’s entire portfolio of advanced digital microelectronic solutions are designed and manufactured in a Defense Microelectronics Activity (DMEA)-accredited facility for design, packaging, test and broker services. Several of Mercury’s facilities have been recognized for excellence by receiving a Superior rating from the Defense Security Service (DSS).
Flight units are scheduled to ship in the first half of calendar year 2019.
Executive Comment
Iain Mackie, VP and GM of Mercury's Microelectronics Secure Solutions group, said customer demand for commercial radiation-tolerant SSD devices for LEO satellites has far surpassed the company's expectations as the firm continues to gain share in this dynamic market.