RAD750
Encyclopedia
The RAD750 is a radiation-hardened
single board computer, based on IBM
's PowerPC 750
. The successor of the RAD6000
, the RAD750 is manufactured by BAE Systems Electronic Solutions. It is intended for use in high radiation
environments such as experienced on board satellites and spacecraft
. The RAD750 was released for purchase in 2001 and the first units were launched into space in 2005.
The CPU has 10.4 million transistor
s compared with the RAD6000 which had 1.1 million transistors. It is manufactured using either 250 or 150 nm
photolithography
and has a die area of 130 mm². It has a core clock
of 110 to 200 MHz and can process at 266 MIPS or more. The CPU can include an extended L2 cache to improve performance. Its packaging and logic functions are completely compatible with the standard PowerPC 750.
The CPU itself can withstand 2,000 to 10,000 gray
and temperature ranges between –55 °C
and 125 °C and requires 5 watt
s of power. The standard RAD750 single-board system (CPU and motherboard
) can withstand 1,000 gray and temperature ranges between –55 °C and 70 °C and requires 10 watt
s of power.
The RAD750 system has a price that is comparable to the RAD6000 which is US$
200,000 per board (per 2002 reference). However customer program requirements and quantities will greatly affect the final unit costs.
By 2010 there will be over 150 RAD750s used in a variety of spacecraft.
Radiation hardening
Radiation hardening is a method of designing and testing electronic components and systems to make them resistant to damage or malfunctions caused by ionizing radiation , such as would be encountered in outer space, high-altitude flight, around nuclear reactors, particle accelerators, or during...
single board computer, based on IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
's PowerPC 750
PowerPC G3
The PowerPC 7xx is a family of third generation 32-bit PowerPC microprocessors designed and manufactured by IBM and Motorola . This family is called the PowerPC G3 by its well-known customer Apple Computer...
. The successor of the RAD6000
RAD6000
The RAD6000 radiation-hardened single board computer, based on the IBM RISC Single Chip CPU, was manufactured by IBM Federal Systems. IBM Federal Systems was sold to Loral, and by way of acquisition, ended up with Lockheed Martin and is currently a part of BAE Systems...
, the RAD750 is manufactured by BAE Systems Electronic Solutions. It is intended for use in high radiation
Ionizing radiation
Ionizing radiation is radiation composed of particles that individually have sufficient energy to remove an electron from an atom or molecule. This ionization produces free radicals, which are atoms or molecules containing unpaired electrons...
environments such as experienced on board satellites and spacecraft
Spacecraft
A spacecraft or spaceship is a craft or machine designed for spaceflight. Spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including communications, earth observation, meteorology, navigation, planetary exploration and transportation of humans and cargo....
. The RAD750 was released for purchase in 2001 and the first units were launched into space in 2005.
The CPU has 10.4 million transistor
Transistor
A transistor is a semiconductor device used to amplify and switch electronic signals and power. It is composed of a semiconductor material with at least three terminals for connection to an external circuit. A voltage or current applied to one pair of the transistor's terminals changes the current...
s compared with the RAD6000 which had 1.1 million transistors. It is manufactured using either 250 or 150 nm
Nanometre
A nanometre is a unit of length in the metric system, equal to one billionth of a metre. The name combines the SI prefix nano- with the parent unit name metre .The nanometre is often used to express dimensions on the atomic scale: the diameter...
photolithography
Photolithography
Photolithography is a process used in microfabrication to selectively remove parts of a thin film or the bulk of a substrate. It uses light to transfer a geometric pattern from a photomask to a light-sensitive chemical "photoresist", or simply "resist," on the substrate...
and has a die area of 130 mm². It has a core clock
Clock rate
The clock rate typically refers to the frequency that a CPU is running at.For example, a crystal oscillator frequency reference typically is synonymous with a fixed sinusoidal waveform, a clock rate is that frequency reference translated by electronic circuitry into a corresponding square wave...
of 110 to 200 MHz and can process at 266 MIPS or more. The CPU can include an extended L2 cache to improve performance. Its packaging and logic functions are completely compatible with the standard PowerPC 750.
The CPU itself can withstand 2,000 to 10,000 gray
Gray (unit)
The gray is the SI unit of absorbed radiation dose of ionizing radiation , and is defined as the absorption of one joule of ionizing radiation by one kilogram of matter ....
and temperature ranges between –55 °C
Celsius
Celsius is a scale and unit of measurement for temperature. It is named after the Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius , who developed a similar temperature scale two years before his death...
and 125 °C and requires 5 watt
Watt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
s of power. The standard RAD750 single-board system (CPU and motherboard
Motherboard
In personal computers, a motherboard is the central printed circuit board in many modern computers and holds many of the crucial components of the system, providing connectors for other peripherals. The motherboard is sometimes alternatively known as the mainboard, system board, or, on Apple...
) can withstand 1,000 gray and temperature ranges between –55 °C and 70 °C and requires 10 watt
Watt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
s of power.
The RAD750 system has a price that is comparable to the RAD6000 which is US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
200,000 per board (per 2002 reference). However customer program requirements and quantities will greatly affect the final unit costs.
Deployment
There are several spacecraft in operation using RAD750 computers.- Deep Impact comet chasing spacecraft, launched in January 2005, was the first to use the RAD750 computer.
- The Mars Reconnaissance OrbiterMars Reconnaissance OrbiterMars Reconnaissance Orbiter is a NASA multipurpose spacecraft designed to conduct reconnaissance and Exploration of Mars from orbit...
spacecraft has a RAD750 on board. - The XSS 11XSS 11USA-165 or XSS-11 is a small, washing-machine-sized, low-cost spacecraft developed by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory’s Space Vehicles Directorate to test technology for proximity operations...
small experimental satellite. - The Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, formally GLAST, launched June 11, 2008
- Two RAD750 computers are in the WorldView-1WorldView-1WorldView-1 is a commercial earth observation satellite owned by DigitalGlobe. It was launched September 18, 2007, and DigitalGlobe plans to launch another, similar satellite after its construction is finished in late 2008...
satellite which provide high-resolution imaging of Earth. Worldview-1 is a part of the National Geospatial-Intelligence AgencyNational Geospatial-Intelligence AgencyThe National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States with the primary mission of collecting, analyzing and distributing geospatial intelligence in support of national security. NGA was formerly known as the National Imagery and Mapping Agency ...
's NextView programme., Launched Sept 18, 2007. - The Kepler space telescopeKepler MissionThe Kepler spacecraft is an American space observatory, the space-based portion of NASA's Kepler Mission to discover Earth-like planets orbiting other stars. The spacecraft is named in honor of the 17th-century German astronomer Johannes Kepler...
, launched in March 2009. - The Lunar Reconnaissance OrbiterLunar Reconnaissance OrbiterThe Lunar Precursor Robotic Program is a program of robotic spacecraft missions which NASA will use to prepare for future human spaceflight missions to the Moon. Two LPRP missions, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite , were launched in June 2009...
, launched on 18 June 2009 - The Wide-field Infrared Survey ExplorerWide-field Infrared Survey ExplorerWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer is a NASA infrared-wavelength astronomical space telescope launched on December 14, 2009, and decommissioned/hibernated on February 17, 2011 when its transmitter was turned off...
(WISE) launched 2009-12-14 - The Solar Dynamics ObservatorySolar Dynamics ObservatoryThe Solar Dynamics Observatory is a NASA mission which will observe the Sun for over five years. Launched on February 11, 2010, the observatory is part of the Living With a Star program...
, launched Feb 11, 2010 - The Juno spacecraftJuno (spacecraft)Juno is a NASA New Frontiers mission to the planet Jupiter. Juno was launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on August 5, 2011. The spacecraft is to be placed in a polar orbit to study the planet's composition, gravity field, magnetic field, and polar magnetosphere...
, launched Aug 5, 2011 - The Mars Curiosity roverMars Science LaboratoryThe Mars Science Laboratory is a National Aeronautics and Space Administration mission with the aim to land and operate a rover named Curiosity on the surface of Mars. The MSL was launched November 26, 2011, at 10:02 EST and is scheduled to land on Mars at Gale Crater between August 6 and 20, 2012...
, launched November 26, 2011 - The Titan Saturn System Mission (TSSM)Titan Saturn System MissionTitan Saturn System Mission was a joint NASA/ESA proposal for an exploration of Saturn and its moons Titan and Enceladus, where many complex phenomena have been revealed by the recent Cassini–Huygens mission...
spacecraft will have a 132 MHz RAD750 on board., Scheduled launch 2020.
By 2010 there will be over 150 RAD750s used in a variety of spacecraft.
External links
- RAD750 products by BAE Systems
- Detailed brochure of the RAD750 processor (PDFPortable Document FormatPortable Document Format is an open standard for document exchange. This file format, created by Adobe Systems in 1993, is used for representing documents in a manner independent of application software, hardware, and operating systems....
) – From BAE Systems - BAE Systems RAD750 processor JTAG Emulator