AeroAstro Wins Contract to Develop New Avionics Data Bus

Ashburn, VA – May 22, 2006

Ashburn, VA – May 22, 2006— AeroAstro, Inc., a leading provider of small satellites and related technology products, today announced that it was awarded a contract by the Air Force Research Laboratory, Kirtland AFB, NM, to develop a simplified Multi-Tap Avionics Bus (M-TAB) for space applications.

Conventional avionics designs route pairs of wires from centralized locations to the various sensors, actuators and other avionic components of a spacecraft. These wire “harnesses” or “bundles” are a major contributor to high mass, and the associated connectors are prone to reliability issues and manufacturing complications. The new avionics data bus approach under development by AeroAstro saves kilograms of mass compared to the wiring systems currently used in conventional spacecraft designs. It also enhances overall system reliability and streamlines the complex testing typically required of such systems.

AeroAstro’s elegantly simple solution replaces this mass of wiring (there may be many thousands of individual wires in a typical spacecraft) with thin, light weight serial cables. These simple cables supply power to all of the various components of the system, as well as conveying signals to and from them. In practice, a dual redundant bus may be used for even greater reliability.

The M-TAB design also results in significant labor cost and production time savings because of the reduction in touch labor for custom wire harnesses and testing.

Eric Holt, M-TAB Program Manager for AeroAstro, remarked, “The Multi-Tap Avionics Bus provides much more reliable connectivity for future spacecraft and also saves considerable mass. This translates into increased mass margin and lower complexity, mitigating a critical constraint for spacecraft engineers and reducing system development risk.”

AeroAstro, Inc. is a leader in innovative micro- and nanosatellite systems, components, and advanced communications technologies. Complete microspace systems and services include mission studies, technical training, systems engineering, electronics, orbit transfer services, ground stations, and space communications.

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Contact:
Kim Irving
Director of Marketing
AeroAstro, Inc.
703.554.6335