Frontgrade Introduces Qualified Plastic Arm Microcontroller for New Space Missions

Colorado Springs, CO (March 18, 2024) – Frontgrade Technologies, a leading provider of mission critical electronics for aerospace and defense, has introduced its first plastic-encapsulated Arm® Microcontroller to the Space market. This new Arm Microcontroller will achieve flight-grade production in July 2024 through NASA’s PEM INST-001 Level 2 qualification standard for plastic-encapsulated microcircuits. The PEM qualification assures Frontgrade’s customers that the device meets the radiation tolerance requirements and reliability standards necessary to withstand the harsh environments encountered during New Space Missions.

“The proliferation of satellites for LEO missions is increasing the demand for highly reliable components that have efficient SWaP-C characteristics and radiation assurances,” said Dr. J. Mitch Stevison, President and CEO of Frontgrade Technologies. “Adding another plastic device to our portfolio – and one that is qualified to NASA’s Space PEM Level 2 – strengthens our position as a trusted provider of high reliability, radiation-assured devices for critical space missions.”

Frontgrade’s plastic Arm Microcontroller has a small footprint designed with ease of implementation in mind. It effectively functions in an ecosystem built around more costly discrete components for intra-satellite communications. The device uses the Arm Cortex M0+ 32-bit processor with a RISC-based architecture, and its industry standard Arm technology provides powerful development and debug tools for customers’ specific applications.

The new microcontroller is the only product on the market today that combines two independent CAN2.0B controllers with mission read/write flash memory and system-on-ship functionality. This integration enables designers to effectively manage board utilization and to reduce cost and complexity. The device’s rugged plastic ball grid array (BGA) package also has the same input/output configuration and features as Frontgrade’s ceramic QML Arm Microcontroller.

About Frontgrade

Frontgrade Technologies is the leading provider of high-reliability, radiation-hardened solutions for defense, intelligence, commercial, and civil applications. The Company offers a complementary and integrated suite of mission critical electronics. Key products include rad-hard components, mission processing subsystems, high power amplifiers, custom ASICs, motion control systems, waveguides, antennas, and power management solutions, as well as cabling. For more information, visit www.frontgrade.com.

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Media Contact:
Liz Ryan Sax
Frontgrade Technologies
+1 (719) 487-4259
press@frontgrade.com