Spacecraft Computer System, a High Performance Flight Data System for NASA's Small Explorer Satellites

The high performance, light weight, small volume and low power flight data systems required by small class satellites push the limits of today's technology. Requirements for high-speed telemetry downlink, fully autonomous operation, and a large data storage have caused NASA' s Small Explorer (SMEX) Project to create a new generation data system. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) Code 743 designed, built and tested such a data system, called Spacecraft Computer System (SCS), for SMEX missions. The flight qualified SCS has been successfully delivered to the SMEX Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite (SWAS) spacecraft. In addition, the SCS has been selected as the baseline flight data system for a new series of highly capable Small Explorer satellites. This paper addresses the SCS hardware descriptions, the system operational performance, and the fabrication technology.