| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Aerospace |
| Founded | 2002 |
| Founder(s) | David J. Strobel |
| Headquarters | San Diego, California, USA |
| Key people | David J. Strobel, David Czajkowski |
| Employees | 39 |
| Divisions | Space Electronics, Advanced Materials, Microwave and RF |
| Website | www.spacemicro.com |
Space Micro Inc is a high technology firm with a focus on radiation hardened electronics for space and military applications.
Contents |
Space Micro Inc. is a privately held, employee-owned company founded in 2002. It has headquarters that includes both office and development laboratory space in San Diego, California, USA.
Space Micro has been recognized several times for fast growth, including the Inc 5000 from Inc. Magazine[1] and the Fastest 100 from the San Diego Business Journal. Customers include NASA, Department of Homeland Security, AFRL, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, MDA, and many others. They have received several Phase I and Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contracts from a variety of government agencies, including NASA and AFRL[2][3]. Space Micro and its employees have been granted several patents in the fields of radiation shielding and radiation hardening techniques for electronics. These technologies are the core of several Space Micro products[4], and often permit the use of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) parts to be deployed in space.
Space Micro was granted ISO 9001:2000 certification in 2008.
Space Micro's primary focus is on designing and building radiation hardened single board computers for satellites, including FPGA and PowerPC-based computers. Beyond single board computers, Space Micro develops other radiation hardened electronics for space applications, such as flash memory, divert attitude control systems (DACS), radio transponders (including SGLS and STDN transponders, and radiation hardened software defined radios. Several Space Micro products are currently in orbit, including their Proton100k single board computer aboard AFRL's TacSat-2, launched in 2006. Recently, several other products have been delivered for upcoming flights[3].
The Space Electronics Division is Space Micro's largest, and is responsible for the majority of Space Micro products, including their flagship series of single board computers, called the Proton series. Space Micro currently offers the Proton200k, Proton300k, and Proton400k. Other Space Electronics Division products include the ProtonX-Box Avionics Suite for CubeSats, 2.5 Gbit/s radiation hardened forward error correction chip, radiation hardened star tracker, radiation hardened internet protocol encryptor, DACS modules, and radiation hardened flash memory[4].
Space Micro's Advanced Materials Division develops thermal protection coatings for aerospace applications and non-destructive evaluation techniques for both aerospace and naval applications. In 2009, the Advanced Materials Division's Thermal Protection Coating product was a finalist in CONNECT's Most Innovative Product awards[5]. Another product, TSP, was recognized by the Air Force as an SBIR Success Story for Innovation[6].
The Microwave and RF Division primarily designs radiation hardened microwave and radio frequency (RF) products for space. Research and development include STDN transponders and software defined radio for commercial, military, and NASA space programs[7].