Q-Deploy-Processor and FPGA Rapid-Deployment Platform

For NASA and other organizations, development using reconfigurable technologies can be time consuming and difficult, with expensive to over-budget development cycles and longer time-to-deployment. The proposed Q-Deploy Processor and FPGA Rapid-Deployment Platform, with the endorsement of a leading prime who is heavily involved with NASA programs and allocations, will give NASA a standardized and commercially available system providing an environment and infrastructure for accelerated development and rapid deployment of highly reliable applications on reconfigurable computing platforms. The Q-Deploy system will leverage and extend proven reconfigurable software technologies developed under DOD contracts and promotes the development of reusable and easily testable functions, with an expanding library of tested features that address normal system-level functions and requirements. The existing technologies will be expanded for operation in Triple Modular Redundancy (TMR) soft-core processors within FPGA(s) to provide added reliability for applications in environments such as those of interest to NASA. This expansion enhances reliability, and when combined with other capabilities, enables the possibility of, for example, "replacing" a faulty processor in an operational system. Reliability will be further enhanced by providing the Hardware Object Refresh Manager to refresh objects in a managed and prioritized manner to combat module failures due to, for example, radiation induced bit swaps without the requirement of device reset or downtime. Q-Deploy's innovative approach for reliable, rapid development and deployment of reconfigurable technologies will provide a flexible, modifiable, and extendable platform usable by multiple developers for NASA and other organizations.

The DOD has a significant focus on space and satellite technologies as outlined in the DOD's 2015 and 2020 future planning. Organizations such as the AFRL Space Vehicles Directorate, Navy SPAWAR and US Army Space Missile Defense Command (SMDC) are among a few of the DOD organizations that have various satellite technology initiatives. The Q-Deploy technologies can benefit these DOD programs and the vendors who are in need of rapid, cost-effective, development and deployment of high-reliability, high-performance applications using reconfigurable technologies. Other industries benefitting from Q-Deploy Processor and FPGA Rapid-Deployment Platform include the commercial satellite industry, as well as the telecommunications industry which provides voice and video communications around the world.

The Q-Deploy platform provides useful technology that is broadly applicable and can help accelerate development and deployment in various NASA programs where reconfigurable FPGA-based technology development is planned or underway. Applications that can benefit from Q-Deploy include fault detection and resolution, power management, command, control, communications, data gathering and analysis, compression, various sensors and interfaces, encryption, and other computationally intensive algorithms. Programs that can benefit include internal payload development efforts, numerous science programs, hardware compression and encryption algorithm development, and new command and telemetry and storage technologies on various spacecraft, with potential benefits to facilitate human exploration beyond LEO. The proposed Q-Deploy can save NASA and other organizations providing reconfigurable technology development for NASA millions of dollars in development costs with faster time-to deployment. Additionally, the Q-Deploy technologies may also enable potential NASA vendors with technology useful to NASA, but who lack knowledge of one or more of the necessary functions that Q-Deploy provides. Organizations of all sizes will benefit from the increased flexibility, rapid development and deployment from using Q-Deploy's innovative platform, documentation, and a specification for an example system allowing development teams to quickly come up to speed with the technology.

This is early/mid-stage (TRL 3) — the most realistic path in is NASA SBIR/STTR, which funds small businesses and research institutions to develop technology aligned with NASA's needs (equity-free, phased funding). Check whether a current SBIR/STTR solicitation topic overlaps with this project's technology area, or contact the project directly (above) to ask.

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