BAE Systems Supplies Radios for Lockheed Martin Space Missions

BAE Systems announced today it delivered its first shipment of next-generation radiation-hardened software defined radios (SDR) enabled by its RAD5545 computer to Lockheed Martin Space.

The radios provide spacecraft with the performance, availability, reliability and on-board signals processing capacity needed to support future space missions — from planetary exploration to communications, national security, surveillance, and weather missions.

“Our RAD5545 software defined radios are ideal for any mission requiring reconfigurable radio processing,” said Ricardo Gonzalez, director of Space Systems at BAE Systems. “The radios can be modified to address various reconfigurable processing solutions.”

BAE Systems’ software defined radio is anchored by the RAD5545 single board computer (SBC), providing radiation-hardened quad core general purpose processing solution to address future threats on a variety of missions. The system leverages modular and standard building blocks including a SpaceVPX chassis and backplane electrical connectors, Serial RapidIO and Spacewire interfaces, and a fully supported expansion port for a custom interface card.

This architecture supports reconfiguration for other missions by swapping out SpaceVPX modules.

The RAD5545 SDR was developed at BAE Systems’ sites in Merrimack, NH, and Manassas, VA, and is produced in Manassas.