The Future of Space Exploration

A CubeSat is a miniature satellite roughly the size of a Rubik’s Cube and weighing about 1 kg., and it has fundamentally changed how modern commercial semiconductors, computers, and software will be used in future spacecraft. Amidst this success, however, is its high failure rate, which is mostly an artifact of poor systems engineering and testing rather than hardware.

A big step toward addressing this issue resulted from the just-completed nine-month flight qualification of some important hardware and software using the International Space Station’s Kibo Module. Key hardware includes Microsemi’s four core RISC-V-based PolarFire SoC, a 4 TB Phison SSD, and a robotic connector called the Intelligent Space System Interface (iSSI) which employs an optically-coupled Gigabit Ethernet, multiple CAN Bus ports, and a power and heat transfer capability.

This qualification process used a Python-based webserver communicating over NASA’s Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS) through a secure proxy server to an Operations Center at Skycorp in Santa Clara. Close to Skycorp is Quanta Labs, the site of some of the vibration testing done for the space-bound equipment used in this test. They are kindly hosting this special event to celebrate the huge milestone that successful completion of this test represents.

Greater adoption of these modern systems in the larger commercial and government contracting world is in our future, as is the industrialization of the Moon, the settlement of Mars, and the economic development of the solar system. Come and learn about this and more, take a tour of the facilities at Quanta, and enjoy some wonderful refreshments at this event.

Dennis Wingo is CEO and Founder of Skycorp Inc. and Greentrail Energy, Inc., and Co-Founder and CTO of Orbital Recovery, Inc.  His key areas of expertise are solar electric propulsion, satellite and spacecraft design, advanced mission planning, and lunar surface operational scenario development. He is the inventor of patents on space logistics systems, one of which is licensed to Orbital ATK.

Dennis worked for many leading edge companies in computer, artificial intelligence and document management areas during the 1980s, including Vector Graphic, Symbolics and Alpharel.  He led the development, construction and testing of microgravity payloads for sounding rockets and the Space Shuttle at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, including the first Macintosh flown on the Space Shuttle, and SEDSAT-1, the first non-NASA spacecraft built in Alabama.  Dennis also led the design and development of the world’s first commercial satellite servicing system at Orbital Recovery, as well as the Lunar Orbiter Image Recovery Project (LOIRP) that restored and digitized the images of NASA’s Lunar Orbiter Program.  He was the first person in history to rescue and operate a spacecraft (ISEE-3) in interplanetary space.

Dennis has been a Keynote Speaker at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference, and has given Google TechTalks.  He is author of the book Moonrush: Improving Life on Earth with the Moon’s Resources as well as dozens of scientific articles and entries on his blog. He has also been featured on many documentaries, programs, and news articles on advanced space activities.

About the speaker, Dr. Hong-sun Liu of Quanta Laboratories

Dr. Hong-sun Liu is President of Quanta Laboratories, which he founded in 1985. He has over 40 years of experience in environmental testing, including mechanical and electronic device R&D, and theoretical and experimental stress, shock, vibration, and environmental testing.

Dr. Liu received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from UC Berkeley, and an MS in Mechanical Engineering from the Univ. of Washington. He has 4 patents in environmental testing, and has taught engineering courses at UC Berkeley, and engineering and business courses at San Jose State Univ. Dr. Liu regularly conducts and teaches Environmental Stress Screening (ESS, HALT, and HASS) seminars, and is a writer and contributor to Test Magazine.

Location: Quanta Laboratories

3199 De La Cruz Blvd., Santa Clara, CA 95054
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