The core Flight System (cFS) is GSFC's platform and project-independent reusable software framework and set of reusable software applications. The cFS has comprehensive flight heritage including flagship and CubeSat missions. It utilizes a layered architecture which promotes reusability without sacrificing efficiency, allowing missions to focus on mission specific code, thereby minimizing flight software development costs. The cFS is available as open-source software and has an active user community.
Official cFS page: https://cfs.gsfc.nasa.gov
Framework and user components: https://github.com/nasa/cFS
cFS 101 Training: https://software.nasa.gov/software/MSC-26323-1

Developed with the goal to provide a software-only solution for new and existing NASA missions to secure communications across the space link. Following the CCSDS SDLS-EP standard, CryptoLib can be integrated into both the spacecraft and ground sides to provide a possible solution for missions to comply with NASA-STD-1006A. CryptoLib is being developed on directly on GitHub as open-source software for users to track and integrate new improvements and request features.

NOS3 is a suite of open-source tools to simulate a mission using flight and ground software. This environment merges a dynamics simulator, flight software, ground software, NOS engine and hardware models to shorten development timelines. Flight and ground software can be developed and tested without the need of spacecraft or ground system hardware, enabling early development of software.

OpenSatKit (OSK) is a multi-facet platform for working with NASA's open-source core Flight System (cFS). OSK supports developing cFS-based mission flight software (FSW), learning how to engineer cFS apps, controlling a remote cFS system on a Raspberry Pi, and developing prototype R&D cFS apps. OSK combines three powerful open-source platforms to achieve these goals: a command-and-control platform for embedded systems, NASA's cFS, and a dynamic simulator.

The software-defined radio is a miniaturized, high-reliability and multi-application development. The radio is processor agnostic for size, mass, power and cost reduction purposes. It is designed with internal power management for optimal noise performance. It includes dual phase-synchronized transceivers, reconfigurable from 70 MHz to 6 GHz. Channel bandwidth is up to 56 MHz with a 4 x 4 MIMO configuration for digital beamforming.

The thermal control louvers use passive thermal control to significantly improve the internal thermal stability of small spacecraft, creating a difference of several watts in dissipated heat between open and closed louvers. The modular design can be produced in large quantities and swapped into various sized plates to tailor the thermal control to each spacecraft's needs.

The deployable boom for CubeSats is a rigid boom over 50 centimeters in length when deployed that houses a three-axis magnetometer. It is stowed on one side of the CubeSat with a double hinge system.

The electric propulsion system is suitable for small satellite attitude control, precision orbit control, constellation formation management, and extended low-thrust maneuvers.

The MARES command and data handling (C&DH) cards utilize an RTG4 with an embedded LEON-3FT processor which combines to make the board highly reliable in a radiation environment and flexible enough to be programmed for custom applications. The LEON3 runs cFS on an RTEMS operating system, enabling a standardize FSW development flow. In addition, it features a footprint to populate a COTS GPS, a magnetometer and a COTS dosimeter as well as interfaces for coarse sun sensors, an IMU, torquers, and fine sun sensors.

NASA's DANY technology uses spring-loaded metal pins, a reliable burnthrough mechanism, efficient bracketing, and a circuit board to reliably stow and release deployables on command. Using DANY, stowed deployables are securely fastened using the spring-loaded locking pins.

The Modular Architecture for a Resilient Extensible SmallSat (MARES) is a capabilities-driven design and architecture with an emphasis on reliability, scalability, and high-performance processing. The architecture defines components, functions, and requirements to meet most of the GSFC science SmallSat needs. As a modular architecture, the users can select all or part of the full architecture to meet their mission needs. Applicability includes but it is not limited to SmallSat buses, CubeSat buses, and high-performance instrument processors.

NavCube technology is based on the GSFC GPS Navigator development used on the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) Mission, currently holding the record for the highest altitude fix of a GPS signal. The shrunk-down technology utilizes the SpaceCube 3.0 Mini digital processing capabilities to minimize the hardware size and mass. Additional hardware includes low-noise amplifier, antenna and oscillator or atomic clock. The use of this additional hardware will depend on the GPS solution accuracy and orbit for a specific mission.

The quad-core processor card is a miniaturized electronics card that provides a radiation-hardened quad-core processor. It is a 1U cross-section CubeSat-sized processor card that features the Cobham Gaisler Quad-Core LEON4 SPARC V8 GR740 device.

This technology utilizes a switching regulator to provide high-efficiency power conversion and constant current. The Self-Regulating Current Circuit simplifies the implementation of deployment mechanisms associated with nichrome-based devices.

The Solid-State Data Recorder is a high-speed and high-capacity data storage solution. With over 10 Terabits, the card can be used in applications such as high-speed communications, high-speed science data capture and on-board processing of large datasets for autonomous navigation, autonomous operations, artificial intelligence tasks and machine learning.

SpaceCube v3.0 Mini is a multi-purpose, high-performance processor card for CubeSats and SmallSats. It features the radiation-tolerant Kintex UltraScale FPGA with a MicroBlaze soft processor core running GSFC's core Flight System. The "Mini" card is a key enabler for reducing SWaP-C in the MARES architecture. Individual licenses are available for elements of the SpaceCube: the Radhard Monitor, Mini Evaluation Board, FMC+ Mezzanine Test Card, Mini ASTM Board, Automated Test Suite, and FMC+ ASTM Card.

This innovative approach fuses the rapid advancements in miniaturized high-speed electronics with the ultra-compact freeform optical design from NASA efforts to create the next generation of stellar scanner instruments.

Learn how the Goddard Environmental Test, Engineering, and Integration Branch provides environmental test support for SmallSat missions.

Learn how the Mission Planning Lab (MPL) has worked with NASA SmallSat developers and their partners to provide services in systems engineering, 3D modeling, simulation, flight trajectory formulation, and more.

Learn about the Integration and Testing capabilities at Wallops Flight Facility.