The Radiation Tolerant Computer (RadPC) payload undergoes final inspection at Montana State University in Bozeman, which is leading the payload project. RadPC is one of the next 10 NASA payloads scheduled for delivery for NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative in 2025. The RadPC prototype has previously been tested on the International Space Station and Earth-orbiting satellites, and the technology demonstrator will undergo that testing. This was its biggest challenge during transit to the Moon, during its passage through Earth’s Van Allen radiation belts and during its roughly two-week mission on the lunar surface. Credit: Firefly Aerospace
Onboard computers are essential to space exploration, supporting nearly every spacecraft function, from propulsion and navigation systems to life support technology, scientific data retrieval and analysis, communications, and atmospheric reentry.
However, computers in space are susceptible to ionized solar and cosmic radiation. Just one high-energy particle can cause a so-called “single event effect,” which can cause minor data errors that can lead to cascading malfunctions, system crashes, and permanent damage. NASA has long sought cost-effective solutions to reduce the effects of radiation on computers to ensure the safety and success of its missions.
Participate in a demonstration of Radiation Hardened Computer (RadPC) technology, one of 10 NASA payloads scheduled to be carried on board the next lunar transport for NASA’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative. Please. RadPC will be transported to the moon’s surface by Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost 1 lunar module.
Developed by researchers at Montana State University in Bozeman, RadPC aims to demonstrate computer recovery from failures caused by the effects of a single event of ionizing radiation. The computer is designed to measure its own real-time health status by employing redundant processors implemented in off-the-shelf integrated circuits called field-programmable gate arrays.
These tiled logic blocks can be easily replaced after ionizing particle collisions are confirmed. In the event of a radiation attack, RadPC’s patented recovery procedures can locate the failure and repair the problem in the background.
As an added scientific advantage, RadPC carries three dosimeters to measure different levels of radiation in the lunar environment, each calibrated to a different sensitivity level. These dosimeters will continuously measure the interaction between Earth’s magnetosphere and the solar wind during the journey to the Moon. It also provides detailed radiation information about Blue Ghost’s lunar landing site, Mare Crisium, which could help protect the safety of future Artemis astronauts.
“This is RadPC’s first mission in the field, so to speak,” said Dennis Harris, who manages the CLPS Initiative’s payload at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. “The RadPC CLPS payload is an exciting opportunity to validate radiation-hardened computer options that have the potential to make future Moon-to-Mars missions safer and more cost-effective.”
Source: NASA tests radiation-tolerant computing solution in space (January 8, 2025) from https://phys.org/news/2025-01-nasa-solution-tolerant-space.html January 2025 Retrieved on 9th
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