Orion spacecraft approaching Lunar Gateway (Artist concept).
Credits: NASA

Ambitious projects are underway in preparation for the upcoming ARTEMIS Mission challenge in 2024. Two companies, space supplier RUAG Space and high-tech company TTTech are offering high-performance data exchange electronics for Lunar Gateway modules – in time for the ARTEMIS Mission challenge in 2024.

In 2011, via a Space Act Agreement, TTTech and NASA standardized TTEthernet technology as an open industry standard i.e. SAE AS6802 together with several industry partners. This open standard has recently been ratified by NASA, ESA, CSA and JAXA as the “International Avionics System Interoperability Standards” (or IASIS) for deep space applications.

TTEthernet technology allows fast and reliable data transfer on the “Lunar Gateway” space station, which will orbit around the Moon and serve as the portal to the surfaces of Moon and Mars. RUAG Space will provide space qualified hardware that enables the use of this highly reliable technology in space applications. Both companies will offer these electronic products to all interested customers. TTEthernet is also used very successfully by the NASA Orion spacecraft and by the new European launcher Ariane 6 as the on-board avionics backbone network.

Time-Triggered Ethernet is faster and more reliable than any other technology in the market. Pictured: TTEthernet platform for outer space. Copyright: TTTech.

Peter Guggenbach, CEO RUAG Space said that this is a perfect partnership. An electronic product that brings together the strong experience from RUAG in space hardware engineering and manufacturing with the expertise in software and ASICs from TTTech. They have invested a lot of resources into engineering and customers can trust them to bring a reliable product that is ready-to-use. With their legacy of success, they will help customers save time and meet their ambitious mission schedules. The first crewed mission i.e. ARTEMIS to the “Lunar Gateway” station and the moon is planned for 2024.

Christian Fidi, VP Products, Sales and Marketing of TTTech’s Aerospace business unit, highlights the safety and reliability of the technological solutions added that they have delivered a safety-critical standard that is proven and as yet unmatched in the industry. Customers benefit from off-the-shelf hardware solutions that perfectly serve a highly competitive and dynamic space market. Time-Triggered Ethernet is faster and more reliable than any other technology in the market. 
 
Time-Triggered Technology was invented by TTTech. The company describes the essence of this technology is to create networks that are fully deterministic, meaning each sender and receiver in a network knows when to send or expect a message. This brings several advantages: Not only are all failures that result in some latency in the network eliminated, it also allows to use the entire bandwidth of the links within the networks.