BAE Systems introduces new SDR assembly

BAE Systems has unveiled its new general software-defined radio (SDR) assembly for commercial and Department of Defense space applications, the company announced on 8 April.

The SDR integrates the company’s RAD5545 single board computer (SBC) with advanced Field Programmable Gate Array-based transceivers, enabling unparalleled flexibility, on-orbit reprogrammability and increased capacity for signals processing. The assembly allows customers to apply their spacecraft to multiple missions.

The SDR's upgradeable SpaceVPX architecture can accommodate an alternate transceiver or design improvement while retaining the integrity of the assembly. The SDR is designed to host third party hardware and mission intellectual property or algorithms. The radio provides multiple receive and transmit channels that can be configured for different applications, such as weather sensing, flexible communications payload, or specialised radio frequency sensing.

The RAD5545 SBC delivers exponential improvements in processing throughput and bandwidth as compared to predecessor products. The SpaceVPX RAD5545 computer is powered by the radiation hardened general purpose system-on-chip processor.