A rugged, 12-slot radiation-tolerant chassis that lets standard commercial data acquisition modules operate safely in space radiation environments, reducing the cost of space-grade data handling versus fully rad-hardened electronics.
KAM/CSB/12U Smart Backplane Chassis
A rugged, 12-slot radiation-tolerant chassis that lets standard commercial data acquisition modules operate safely in space radiation environments, reducing the cost of space-grade data handling versus fully rad-hardened electronics.
Description
The Smart Backplane (KAM/CSB/12U) is a 12-user-slot chassis for space data acquisition, processing, and recording, part of Curtiss-Wright's Acra KAM-500 family. Its key innovation is a rad-hard backplane providing system-level radiation protection, allowing 100+ standard COTS Acra KAM-500 I/O plug-in modules to be used without their own individual radiation hardening. When the backplane detects a Single Event Latch-Up caused by ionizing radiation, it automatically isolates and power-cycles the affected module within seconds while the rest of the system continues operating. It also minimizes power draw by letting individual modules be commanded on/off across mission phases. Target applications include launch vehicles, re-entry vehicles, and LEO satellites. The system carries flight heritage on Boeing CST-100 Starliner, the ESA/Avio Vega-C launcher, NASA SLS/Orion, Rocket Lab and SpaceX Falcon 9/Dragon missions, the ESA IXV, ULA Delta IV, and ISS ACLS life-support monitoring. It was introduced at the 33rd Space Symposium in April 2017 as the space industry's first rugged COTS-based chassis qualified for reliable data acquisition in space radiation environments.
Specifications
| Slots | 12 |
|---|---|
| Family | KAM-500 (Acra KAM-500) |
| Radiation protection | Rad-hard backplane detects and corrects Single Event Latch-Up per module |
| COTS module compatibility | 100+ standard COTS I/O plug-in modules |
| Power feature | Per-module on/off control to minimize power consumption |
| Target applications | Launch vehicles, re-entry vehicles, LEO satellites |
| Introduced | April 3, 2017 (33rd Space Symposium) |
| Flight heritage | Boeing CST-100 Starliner, ESA/Avio Vega-C launcher, NASA SLS/Orion, Rocket Lab, SpaceX Falcon 9/Dragon, ESA IXV, ULA Delta IV, ISS ACLS |