BAe Systems taps NEXT Semi for space antenna processor
BAe Systems is to use ultra-wideband antenna processor units (APUs) from US startup NEXT Semiconductor Technologies for satellite communications designs.
The radiation hardened APUs combine 200Gsample.s signal acquisition and generation with on-board high-reliability, reconfigurable digital processing for next generation satellite sensors and transmitters.
The NX450 APU provides 100GHz of instantaneous RF bandwidth split across four independent receive and transmit channels. This simplifies sensor design by pushing signal digitization and processing closer to the edge for a software defined radio architecture that reduces sensor size, weight, and power (SWaP) while still providing embedded application processor redundancy for reliability.
The APU is manufactured in an onshore GlobalFoundries 12LP 12nm FinFET process and is in a 11x23mm BGA package for secure wide bandwidth satellite communication (SATCOM).
“NEXT is firmly entrenched in the development of high-reliability, software-defined SoC solutions for next generation satellite payloads. We are eager to collaborate with BAE Systems to address future space missions with our unique SoC capabilities,” said Mike Kappes, President and Chief Strategy Officer at NEXT Semiconductor which was formed in 2023 in San Diego by executives from Broadcom, Qualcomm and IQ Analog,
BAE Systems will provide support of the NX450 APU for low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites and is looking to incorporate its own application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) technology and expertise in future designs.
“By leveraging our decades of space electronics experience, we can apply our radiation-hardened techniques to a commercial off-the-shelf product to deliver a new capability addressing our space customers’ needs,” said Jim LaRosa, Space Systems programme director at BAE Systems. “Our collaboration with NEXT allows for the development of future solutions with dramatically increased mission and environmental performance.”
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