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MicroSat SYSTEMS WINS MISSILE DEFENSE AGENCY CONTRACT

MicroSat Systems Inc (MSI) was awarded the Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract by the Missile Defense Agency to continue the development of a Micro Mass Storage Module (MMSM). MSI, in collaboration with SEAKR Engineering Inc of Centennial, Colorado will design and build the MMSM to demonstrate the commercial feasibility of using hard disk drives in space.

"The development of a low cost, lightweight, modular on-board data storage system using commercial hard drives will meet the future storage needs of all government and commercial satellites," said John Roth, President, MSI.

In the past, mass and power requirements during operation made this a less desirable option. The increasing fidelity of satellite imagery along with the increased capability for on-board data processing is driving an increased need for on-board data storage.

The MMSM will provide the Missile Defense Agency a modular system incorporating hermetically sealed, vibration isolated drive modules along with an electronics controller offering up to 800 megabits/second data rate through parallel hard disk drive control at a fraction of the cost of conventional solid state memory.

MicroSat Systems offers rapid response to unique customer requirements by providing short development cycle times at low cost. MicroSat Systems is a small Colorado-based company that designs, develops, integrates, tests and operates high performance satellites and spacecraft subsystems, including lightweight thin film solar arrays and multi-functional composite structures.