Finally: An Affordable Rad-Resistant SSD for Low-Earth Orbit

If you have travel plans that extend beyond Earth’s atmosphere – or simply in the process of building a satellite – you’ll be happy to know that there’s now an SSD for you. Other than being radiation-resistant and certified for low-earth orbit, it’s also something as rare as an SLC-based drive.

The new solid state drive for space travelers is called TRRUST-Stor VPX RT and is built by Mercury Systems. It’s allegedly the first of its kind: a commercial,  space-qualified SSD designed for work in high-radiation environments. The form factor OpenVPX (or SpaceVPX) is rather unusual among Earth-based users. It’s designed with multiple redundancies and out-of-this-world fault tolerances. Furthermore, the drive is equipped with ECC (error-correcting code) algorithms that mitigate radiation-induced byte errors for some added data security in orbit.

Thanks to the cost-cutting nature of the SpaceVPX standard (as compared, perhaps, to full-custom hand-soldered alternatives), this will be one of the least costly rad-resistant space SSDs on the market, according to the manufacturer.

The TRRUST-Stor VPX RT uses a proprietary controller from Mercury Systems, in combination with extremely durable SLC (single-level cell) NAND flash memory chips. Consumer SSDs these days are at best equipped with MLC (multi-level cell) NAND, but normally TLC (triple-level) or even QLC (4-level). In other words, memory cell endurance will not be an issue in your next space craft if you opt for a TRRUST-Stor VPX RT.

Contact Mercury SSD at Secure.SSD@mrcy.com, or call 866-627-6951 to order yours today.

Via SensorsMag

Jesper Berg
Jesper Berg

I got started with PC building in the 3dfx Voodoo era somewhere back in the 1990s, and have been writing for tech publications for a bit more than a decade. In other words old enough to have lost count of the times PC gaming has been pronounced dead.

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