Data Device Corporation (DDC) has announced that the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), the developer of the robotic servicing payload for the Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellites (RSGS),  has selected the company’s SCS750® Single Board Computer (SBC) for use on the RSGS program for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

The Front-end Robotics Enabling Near-term Demonstration, or FREND, flight prototype robotic arm performs fully autonomous grapple testing. This testing demonstrates RSGS on-board processing’s ability to track and guide a robotic arm to grapple a launch vehicle adapter ring (left) that is common to many spacecraft designs.

Photo is courtesy of the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory,

RSGS will provide an on orbit satellite servicing vehicle that will transform U.S. space operations in GEO.  As the lead payload developer for the program, NRL selected DDC’s SCS750® SBC due to its processing capabilities, radiation performance (in particular with the best in class upset rate of 1 uncorrectable error in 80 years), known reliability and flight heritage (TRL-9 since 2013). Several of DDC’s SCS750® SBCs will be used in the RSGS satellite, providing for all aspects of control including attitude control and robotic control, along with video processing.

SCS750® Single Board Computer Highlights:    

• Proven Reliability
• Proven in space: TRL-9
• Used with confidence in the most critical missions
• 1 in 80 year board level SEE rate (GEO)
• TID > 100krad(Si); SEL immune
• Optimized Performance
• Incorrect transactions are never generated
• Seamless error correction
• Software controlled Speed/Power: 200-1800 MIPS; 7-30W typical
• Error-corrected memory (SDRAM and EEPROM)
• cPCI; MIL-STD-1553, serial/parallel interfaces available

Executive Comment

DDC's SCS750 Single Board Computer for space.

Dan Veenstra, Space Business Unit Manager of DDC’s Poway, California, location where the SCS750s are designed and manufactured, said that DDC is delighted to be supporting NRL on this important DARPA program that will be a game changer for the maintenance and upgrading of satellites. Since inception, more than 20 years ago, DDC's electronic components (more than 100,000 shipped) and TRL-9 Single Board Computers have experienced zero failures in space, which will help to ensure the success of the RSGS Program.