Flight Opportunities
Affordable Vehicle Avionics (AVA) Flight Testing
Project Description
More science experimentation and technology development can be accomplished on nano-satellites than ever before. With this growth in capability, it is highly advantageous to NASA to be able to launch nano-satellites (with mass under 25 kg) as primary payloads into Low Earth Orbit as cost-effectively as possible. AVA (Affordable Vehicle Avionics) is a generic avionics technology that can be easily ported between launch vehicles, and leveraged by several third-party launch service providers. STMD’s Game Changing Development Program (GCDP) is funding AVA development from TRL 5+ to become TRL 6+ in FY15-16. A phased, iterative test approach is proposed with several AVA prototypes flying as non-controlling avionics (piggybacking).
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Anticipated Benefits
This generic avionics technology provides a fully capable, small, low-mass GNC (Guidance, Navigation and Control) subsystem at 1% of the cost of existing GNC subsystems that can be used on small launch vehicles, providing the capability to launch nano-satellites as primary, rather than secondary, payloads. This benefits the commercial space industry, future NASA missions and other government agencies such as the Department of Defense.
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Primary U.S. Work Locations and Key Partners
| Organizations Performing Work | Role | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
Ames Research Center
(ARC)
|
Lead Organization | NASA Center | Moffett Field, California |
Primary U.S. Work Locations
-
California
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