GDMS Successfully Demos Virtual Receiver Processor during LM On-Orbit Payload Exercise

General Dynamics Mission Systems announced today that it successfully demonstrated a TRL-9 space-based Virtual Receiver Processor (VRP) on a Lockheed Martin Electronically Steerable Antenna (ESA) payload technology demonstrator earlier this year. VRP has the capacity to deliver hundreds of waveform-agnostic receivers in a single component, compatible with small satellites systems, multi-beam ESA systems, and multi-channel transponders.

The pLEO satellite market demands innovation that meets the speed of need, drives down the development cycle time and drastically reduces design cost. General Dynamics applied its proprietary Fast Attack approach to deliver operational capability to Lockheed Martin in 18 months, demonstrating rapid development, production, integration and test. The Fast Attack framework employs a flexible set of design phases tailored to specific mission needs, underpinned by rapid development efforts that reduce time to delivery.

“Technology is advancing rapidly in the pLEO market, and we are working hard to be at the forefront of that advancement by leveraging Fast Attack,” said Brian Morrison, vice president for the Space, Cyber & Intelligence Systems line of business with General Dynamics Mission Systems. “We’ll bring this process to more missions and customers to reduce delivery time and accelerate the delivery and integration of capabilities designed with our warfighters in mind.”

Unlike conventional transponders, the General Dynamics-built VRP does not require contiguous communication channels in the RF spectrum as it provides channel definition of varying band widths and carrier frequencies anywhere within its wide RF range. Its spectrum monitoring function supports adaptive communication channel management in the presence of spectrum congestion to ensure a robust communication link is established and sustained.