Rad-tolerant MCUs cut space-grade costs
Vorago has announced four rad-tolerant MCUs for LEO missions, which it says cost far less than conventional space-grade components. Part of the VA4 series of rad-hardened MCUs, these new chips provide an economical alternative to high-risk upscreened COTS components.
Based on Arm Cortex-M4 processors, the Radiation-Tolerant by Design (RTbD) MCUs are priced nearly 75% lower than Vorago’s HARDSIL radiation-hardened products. The RTbD lineup includes the extended-mission VA42620 and VA42630, as well as the cost-optimized VA42628 and VA42629 for short- or lower-orbit missions. By embedding radiation protection directly into the silicon, these MCUs tackle the reliability challenges of satellite constellations and provide a more efficient solution than conventional multi-chip redundancy approaches.
All four MCUs provide >30 krad(Si) TID tolerance, with the VA42630 integrating 256 KB of nonvolatile memory. Extended-mission devices are designed for harsher obits and primary flight control, while cost-optimized MCUs target thermal regulation and localized power management. These chips can be dropped into existing architectures with no redesign, enabling rapid deployment.
Vorago will begin shipping its first rad-tolerant chips in early Q1 2026.
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