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FGPAs selected for Herschel and Planck scientific space missions

13 August 2003 News

Actel has announced that its RTSX-S radiation-tolerant FPGAs have been selected for extensive use on the Herschel and Planck space probes, which are scheduled for launch by the European Space Agency (ESA) in 2007. The Herschel and Planck probes will study infrared radiation and cosmic background radiation, respectively. The RT54SX32S and RT54SX72S parts will be used for many flight-critical functions on the space explorations, including interfacing and control, co-processing and data handling, as well as mission-critical functions within various scientific instruments.

Actel's RTSX-S FPGAs were also chosen by Systems Engineering & Assessment. (SEA) of Bath, United Kingdom, for SEA's cooler drive processor, which requires resistance to single-event upsets (SEUs) and tolerance to total ionising dose (TID). Incorporated in the high-frequency instrument (HFI) on the Planck space probe, the circuit maintains the radiation measuring and cooling equipment at a constant temperature of -269°C.

Actel's RTSX-S family is the industry's first FPGA solution built on a foundation of hardened latches, which eliminates the need for triple-module redundancy (TMR).

For more information contact Kobus van Rooyen, ASIC Design Services, 011 315 8316, [email protected].



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