Radiation Hardened High Speed Fiber Optic Transceivers for Extreme Environments

The goal is to enable NASA to field high-resolution sensors and computational systems in robotic exploration missions throughout the Solar System. NASA is pursuing technologies for robotic exploration of the Solar System including its planets, their moons, and small bodies. NASA has a development program that includes technologies for the atmospheric entry, descent, and landing, mobility systems, extreme environments technology, sample acquisition and preparation for in situ experiments, and planetary science instruments. Robotic exploration missions that are planned include a Europa Jupiter System mission, Titan Saturn System mission, Venus Explorer, samples from Comet or Asteroid and continued Mars exploration.

The CORE components are being developed for general use in harsh environments and this program will benefit in the costs savings created by volume manufacturing and sales. UltraComm is currently pursuing the JSF program with potential sales volume of 18,000 units annually and a lifetime expectancy of 150,000 units. Our first deliveries to C-MAC began in the spring of 2011, with production sales beginning in Q4 2012. The CORE is also base-lined and prototype deliveries have been made into a major space program with Honeywell, F-18 Fibre Channel Switch upgrades with Harris, and Lockheed Martin's advanced transceiver program (next generation optical interconnect). Fiber optics holds significant advantages over copper for high-speed data communications in space applications – it neither produces nor is affected by EMI, it offers ground isolation between electronic units, reduced power, reduced size and reduced weight. Mil-airframes are increasingly fielding fiber optic wiring infrastructures as a long-term solution to bandwidth upgrades (for example, Joint Strike Fighter, Raptor, F-18 and B-2). More »