The implementation will be based on Intel's Pentium microprocessor and 430HX Chipset.

Tom Horgan, Maxwell's CEO, said that the Space Electronics design will incorporate Pentium-based radiation hardened chips designed by Sandia with additional components protected by Space Electronics' proprietary radiation hardening technology to produce powerful computer boards able to withstand the effects of radiation that degrades the performance and reliability of conventional electronics.

"This relationship has major strategic significance for Maxwell," Horgan said. "Space Electronics will be Sandia's only industry partner licensed to supply the most advanced and powerful Intel based architecture, radiation-tolerant microprocessor computers available when they reach the market. Applications will include satellites, space probes and military applications in which radiation hardened microelectronics are required."

The radiation-hardening of the Pentium and 430HX Chipset design being done at Sandia National Laboratories is co-funded by the Department of Energy, the National Reconnaissance Office, the Air Force Research Laboratory and NASA. Sandia is the program integrator for this effort. Under a $1 million contract, Space Electronics will design, develop, manufacture, and market the single board computer for use in environments where radiation-hardened microelectronic devices are required. Planned product offerings will address the needs of both the radiation-hardened and lower cost radiation-tolerant applications.

Horgan noted that Space Electronics recently introduced radiation-hardened 486 single board computers for the satellite market, and said that the new Pentium-based boards will provide a four-fold increase in processing power along with high reliability in space and other radiation-intense environments.

Space Electronics, Inc. develops, manufactures and sells a wide variety of electronic components, boards and subsystems for space, military and other high-reliability applications. Composed of two operating units, (Space Products and Hi-Rel Microelectronics) Space Electronics provides radiation-hardened microelectronics for space flight and ruggedized integrated circuits for high-reliability environments.

Additional Radiation Links

Protecting Satellites From Radiation

Community
Email This Article
Comment On This Article

Related Links
Space

Memory Foam Mattress Review

SPACE MEDIA NETWORK PROMOTIONS Solar Energy Solutions Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison ... Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News

SPACEDAILY

Satellite Launch To Boost DTH In India
Calcutta, India (SPX) Dec 28, 2005
The successful launch Thursday of India's heaviest satellite from spaceport of Kourou in French Guyana may have boosted the country's space research efforts to yet another level, but it has also lifted the spirits of at least three Direct-To-Home televisions broadcasters, one of which has been waiting for years to launch its services in India.