ANDOVER, Mass. Solid-state data recorders (SSDRs) built by Mercury Systems will fly to the International Space Station in 2022, after selection by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to provide for NASA’s Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT) science mission.

By Tom Smelker

Today’s sensor-based systems often fail to perform at their full potential due to loss of fidelity in data processing or discarding data due to analog bandwidth limitations from the performance trade-offs required to meet size, weight, and power (SWaP) constraints. In addition, the most effective radar and electronic warfare (EW) response techniques demand extremely low latency as the signal transitions from analog RF to digital and back to RF. Heterogeneous 2.5D system-in-package (SiP) technology, a new trend in microelectronics that includes multiple die inside the same package, is proving to be an excellent match for sensor-edge processing requirements, as it integrates high-performance chiplets to support direct digitization of wideband RF signals.

Threats facing the U.S. military are evolving fast – hypersonically fast. At speeds of MACH 5 and greater, hypersonic weapons are becoming increasingly challenging to detect, deter, and destroy. Military-technology manufacturers, however, are refusing to let these light-speed advancements become the Achilles heel for the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). The methods through which companies in the hypersonic sector plan to ensure domestic confidence in this arena are said to be dependent on innovations like early detection, robust sensor systems, and a better understanding of what exactly makes a hypersonic weapon so lethal.

MELBOURNE, Fla. L3Harris Technologies has completed a technology demonstration, under a Defense Innovation Unit prototype contract, for the U.S. Space Force satellite communication system to improve communications with the agency’s growing number of satellites.

To address emerging electronic warfare (EW) threats, which are becoming increasingly more agile and moving up the spectrum, radio frequency (RF) and microwave component designs are also evolving.

ANDOVER, Mass. Mercury Systems announced on December 30, 2020 that it had completed its acquisition of mission-critical technology company Physical Optics Corporation (POC).

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. Our five most popular McHale Report podcasts for 2020 hosted by editors John McHale and Emma Helfrich featured guests from National Instruments, Liteye Systems, Pentek, and two guests from Mercury Systems on topics such as artificial intelligence for electronic warfare, the end of Moore's Law, the defense industry's response to COVID-19, counter-UAV advancements, and the Sensor Open Systems Architecture (SOSA) Consortium. Check them out below.