Applying Reconfigurable Processing Technologies to Spaceborne Applications

Reconfigurability is a key element to extracting the most from any spacecraft or spacecraft subsystem. It allows systems to become more autonomous, maximizes their usage once deployed and delays obsolescence by allowing new uses of the spaceborne asset, often in ways not envisioned by its creators. This paper briefly explores the needs for reconfigurable systems and then presents a four dimension taxonomy to describe their make-up and potential growth areas. It describes recent advances in non-volatile memory, reconfigurable technologies and processors including BAE Systems´ chalcogenide, which is the base of an upcoming 4 megabit C-RAM device, and after that various C-RAM embedded devices. The BAE Systems reconfigurable architecture is reviewed and potential near term products described. Finally, the types of, and challenges using new technologies in reconfigurable systems are described. This includes discussing the need to standardize the interfaces in order to allow a growth similar to what has occurred in spacecraft processors