Integrated development kit speeds design of FPGA-based satellite systems

Developers using FPGAs to meet satellite system payload and throughput requirements can speed designs by prototyping with space-qualified devices rather than commercial off-the-shelf silicon. Microchip Technology (announces it has combined its flight-ready RT PolarFire FPGA with the development kit and interfaces for evaluating design concepts based on actual in-flight electrical and mechanical characteristics.

The RT PolarFire development kit supports various daughter boards and includes two fully populated high-pin count (HPC) FPGA mezzanine card connectors, DDR3 DIMM and RT Gigabit Ethernet connection, SPI flash memory, and SubMiniature Version A (SMA) connectors. Also included is radiation data and the Libero software tool suite for programming the RT PolarFire FPGA. 

Microchip’s RT PolarFire FPGA increases mission-critical computing and connectivity throughput compared to SRAM FPGAs while consuming up to 50% less power and offering greater immunity to radiation-induced configuration Single Event Upsets (SEUs). It can be used to solve such difficult spaceflight challenges as reducing satellite signal processing congestion. Microchip has completed MIL-STD-883 Class B qualification for the RT PolarFire FPGA and is in the process of completing Class Q and Class V qualification. 

Microchip offers multiple kit options based on four versions of its RTPF500T RT PolarFire FPGA spanning different package pin counts and speed grades.