OpenSWIFT-SDR for STRS, Phase I

SWIFT is a small-form factor, highly-capable software-defined radio (SDR) platform whose strength lies in its flexible and modular hardware and software interfaces. TUI proposes to augment this existing, proven platform to make it compatible with the Space Telecommunication Radio System (STRS) architecture and other open standards. Furthermore, TUI proposes to leverage other ongoing work in the area of high-gain antenna pointing and electrically-steered antenna (ESA) control to augment these existing standards with antenna pointing and multi-antenna abstraction interfaces. The proposed STRS augmentations and ?OpenSWIFT-SDR? architecture will allow them to scale to large, multi-body networked systems, especially systems operating at multiple frequencies with multiple, steered antennas. The large existing code-base, availability of mature hardware solutions, and the ability to operate coherently at S-, X-, K-, and Ka-bands while connecting to multiple antennas makes SWIFT an ideal platform for both TUI and others to develop the next generation of communications architectures and protocols for current and future NASA missions.