Aitech Systems, a leading provider of rugged boards and system level solutions for military, aerospace and space applications, has released the most compact network attached storage (NAS) device available for use in near earth orbit (NEO) and low earth orbit (LEO) space applications. The new S999 Aitech solid state drive (ASSD™) is a 2.5-inch solid state drive (SSD) for high performance spacecraft data processing or distributed computing systems in satellites and human-rated platforms.
State-of-the-art storage for space missions
With a raw storage capacity of 999,936,425,984 Bytes, the S999 delivers solid cost-to-performance benefits for applications that demand low latency read speeds and greater bandwidth NAS environments for Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA)-based systems. The S999 can also be certified to FIPS 140-2 or 140-3 requirements as an optional effort.
The unit can be paired with Aitech’s S-A1760 Venus™, the most powerful and smallest GPGPU AI supercomputer rated for space flight and small satellite constellations. This COTS-based system is validated for use in short duration and LEO/NEO environments through the Series 300 level ruggedization standard that identifies the rad-tolerant needs of space components and systems not used in deep space or long-haul applications.
Anthony Lai, Business and R&D Director for Space at Aitech, commented, “We noticed that a gap existed for a large capacity SWaP-C storage drive for use in space missions. Other products were far more costly, in terms of Gigabytes per dollar, and they didn’t offer the optimum size, weight and power needed for today’s lower orbit space platforms. The S999’s compact size, storage capacity and radiation tolerance make it the most advanced data storage unit available for use in space.”
The new space-grade SSD weighs less than 200 grams and features an uncorrectable bit error rate of less than one 512-byte memory sector per 1017 bits read as well as SATA Gen1/2/3 compatibility and a built-in hardware-based AES-256 encryption engine. Optional predetermined secure erase protocols are available from a list of military secure erase protocols.