Space industry managed Ethernet switch lowers costs and time-to-market

Aitech Systems offers the space industry’s first standalone SFF Ethernet switch designed and tested for NEO and LEO missions. The new S-A6640 is a managed Ethernet Switch/Router with 12 x 1GE copper ports and utilises IP and Ethernet protocols to help significantly enhance communication speeds while lowering costs and improving time-to-market for small satellite constellations and manned missions.

Developed with major components with a radiation pedigree, it can be simply installed in any NEO or LEO space mission with any target platform size and notably lowers the risk of communication-related failures in space.

As well as serving as the centrepiece of the Aitech Space DBB architecture for LEO/NEO applications, the new switch functions as the primary connectivity hub for any small satellite or human-rated space mission, operating as a scalable network architecture for all onboard computing and communication equipment.

Alex Trigoub, space product line manager for Aitech, noted, “Compared to other protocols, such as 1553B, Serial and SpaceWire, Ethernet provides much higher bandwidth and far more flexibility in a wide variety of applications. It also provides its mechanisms for protection and redundancy, including xSTP and VRRP, which are both supported by the S-A6640 to eliminate the chance of communications failure.”

Specific uses of the new switch include connectivity for GPGPU, edge computing and storage, network protection, resiliency, and scalability in NEO/LEO space applications, particularly in applications with two redundant ones S-A6640s installed.