Matthew Nelson
A BAE Systems-built single board computer has been deployed and integrated into a GPS III satellite in line with the latter’s launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Thursday.
Manufactured in a BAE facility in Virginia, the RAD750 single board computer works to enable integrated radiation-hardened processing capacities for the satellite system, the company said Thursday.
BAE has fielded over 900 computers for more than 300 satellite units and has provided radiation-hardened electronic components for nearly three decades. GPS III satellites are equipped with anti-jamming functions and designed to work with international navigation satellite systems through the employment of L1C radio frequencies.
“Our rad-hard RAD750 processor can withstand radiation doses a million times stronger than a fatal human dose, and that durability is valued on missions like the GPS III,†said James LaRosa, director at BAE’s space processors and products segment.
