Microwave and RF Division Products and Information
Space Micro's RF heritage began in 2006 with the award of the Air Force ANGELS and TACSAT-4 programs, and now includes SGLS and STDN Transponders/Transceivers, X/Ku/Ka-Band Transmitters and various other power amplifier RF products. Space Micro has been awarded several flight programs recently including MSV (µSGLS™) as well as NASA IRIS and LADEE. In addition to the µSTDN™ for IRIS, we're also providing the mission critical X-Band Transmitter, µX™-TX
We are able to augment each design with radiation mitigation solutions including Total Ionizing Dose (TID), Single Event Upset (SEU), and Single Event Latchup (SEL), through our innovative radiation mitigation technologies.
Our Microwave and RF products represent the cutting edge in satellite communication devices.
Products include:
- µSGLS™ Compact, Radiation Hardened SGLS Transponder
- µSTDN™ Compact, Low Current, Radiation Hardened S-Band Transponder
- µX™-Tx X-Band Transmitter
- µKa™ μKa Band Wide Band Transmitter
- µXPA™ Radiation Hardened Linearized X-Band Power Amplifier
Product Details and Datasheets
µSGLS™ Transponder
Space Micro’s µSGLS ™ is based on a flight proven SGLS design, representing the state-of-the-art in compact, radiation hardened SGLS transponders. The µSGLS ™ is comprised of 2 “slices”: the Transmitter and Receiver, which can interface to a third slice that is available from the U.S. Air Force, the MCU-110 Encryptor. The encryptor can either be mounted on top of the µSGLS ™ or alternatively mounted elsewhere on the spacecraft.
For more information, refer to the µSGLS™ Transponder datasheet.
µSTDN™ S-Band Transponder
The high performance µSTDN™ Transponder provides telemetry, tracking and command (TT&C) between STDN and DSN ground systems, and NASA satellites. The receiver/detector section detects and locks to the S-Band uplink signals, demodulates the BPSK (PCM/PSK optional) telecommand signal, outputs command data and bit timing. The transmitter section receives data from the Command & Data Handling (C&DH) unit, encodes and modulates it on an internal subcarrier and/or directly on the S-Band downlink. (The Ranging feature (optional) demodulates range tones from the receiver and remodulates on the downlink carrier to provide range information for the ground equipment.) The system can be operated in either coherent or non-coherent mode. Output monitor functions are included in both the transmitter and receiver sections.
For more information, refer to the µSTDN™ Transponder datasheet.
µX™-Tx X-Band Transmitter
Space Micro's µX™-TX radiation hardened X-Band Transmitter is designed to meet stringent space requirements for earth imaging and other high-speed downlink applications. In final production for the IRIS program, the power amplifier portion of the Transmitter is based on the flight-proven TACSAT-4 flight X-Band power amplifier, packaged with digital and RF sections which provide flexibility in output power, modulation type and data rates.
For more information, refer to the µX™-Tx datasheet
µKa™ Wide Band Transmitter
The μKaTx™ Wide Band Transmitter Unit (WTU) is a state-of-the-art, high-reliability Ka-Band transmitter developed to meet the demanding radiation requirements of long-term space missions and the high data rates for the advanced digital modulation schemes. The design is based on development programs sponsored by MDA, NASA, and DARPA. Rates up to 3.2 Gbps, 8-PSK modulation is standard with EDAC and convolutional encoding. Low Density Parity Coding (LDPC) and other modulation methods are also available. The PA operates in Class A mode with less than 0.3dB of compression for exceptional performance in linear applications. The WTU is compatible with ITU, NTIA, SFCG, and MIL-STD-461 emission and radiation standards. The μKaTXTM WTU is compatible with industry standard Class 1 encryption, such as HAIPE. The output interface is a WR-34 waveguide launch.
For more information, refer to the µKa-RH™ Wide Band Transmitter datasheet
µXPA™ Linearized X-Band Power Amplifier
For more information, refer to the µXPA™10C X-band power amplifier datasheet.