CAVU Aerospace

Updated 20 Aug 2026

Manufacturer United Kingdom Company-managed

15 Products

3 Services

10 Years Active

Website ↗ Profile PDF ⬇

About CAVU Aerospace

CAVU Aerospace designs and manufactures spacecraft avionics, including a range of Onboard Computers (OBCs) and related satellite components. Their product lines include the OBC 64, PF-VPX OBC, OBC CUBE POLAR, POLAR EDGE, OBC Hyper POLAR, CDH-FS, Thermal Control Units, Frame Grabbers, and Satellite Cameras. These products are designed for demanding space missions, CubeSat applications, scientific research, Earth observation, and commercial satellite deployment. The company is an official Microchip Design Partner and participates in the High-Performance Spaceflight Computing (HPSC) program, utilizing Microchip's PIC64 architecture and PolarFire SoC FPGA technology. Their OBCs feature radiation-tolerant designs, RISC-V processors, flash-based FPGAs with ZeroFIT SEU immunity, and high-speed I/O. The CDH-FS OBC has a fully redundant FPGA-based architecture and is flight-proven. The Satellite Camera s.LDU.345 is a flight-proven optical payload for high-resolution imaging.

Company Info

Headquarters Stirling, Scotland, UK, United Kingdom

Offices 1801 Military Road, Stuttgart, AR 72160 — Arkansas, USA

Founded 2016 (10 years)

Website cavuaerospace.uk ↗

LinkedIn linkedin.com/company/cavu-aerospace-uk ↗

Email Info@CavuAerospace.UK

Sales sales@cavuaerospace.uk

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Products

A premium, high-efficiency triple-junction GaAs solar cell designed for space missions, offering 32% efficiency at BOL and robust radiation tolerance for LEO and deep space applications.

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Efficiency at BOL	32%
Open circuit voltage (Voc)	2.666 V
Maximum power (Pmax)	1.331 W
Efficiency (AM0 spectrum, 25°C)	32.63%
Radiation tolerance	Maintains efficiency after exposure to high radiation levels
Temperature stability	Optimized for a wide range of temperatures
PN junction structure	n/p triple-junction, GaInP2/Gassing/Ge
Top electrode	AuGeNi/Au/Ag/Au
Bottom electrode	Pd/Ag/Au
Antireflection film	TiOx/Al2O3
Bypass diode	External bypass diode
Area	30.15 cm2
Weight	2.40±0.35 g
Short Circuit Isc	580 mA
Fill Factor	0.855
Absorptance	≤0.92
Emittance	0.84±0.03

Flight-proven

The CAVU CDH-FS is an advanced, fully redundant FPGA-based on-board computer system designed for critical space missions, offering continuous operation and resilience against severe space conditions.

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Key system features	Dual Cold/Hot Redundant OBC Modules
Key system features (2)	Dual Cold/Hot Redundant ADC/DAC Modules
Key system features (3)	Double Hot Redundant ADC Converters
Key system features (4)	Advanced Supervisor & Health Monitoring Module
Key system features (5)	Efficient Data Synchronization Between OBC Modules
Key system features (6)	Three Selectable Boot Regions from Bootloader
Key system features (7)	Fully Customizable Configuration
Special features	Expected Life-time: 3-5 years in LEO
Special features (2)	On-Board Current & Temperature Monitoring
Special features (3)	External On-Board Watchdog Monitor via Supervisor
Special features (4)	Power Consumption Monitoring via Supervisor
Special features (5)	Triple Real Time Clock
Special features (6)	Hot Redundant On-Board Voltage Converters
Special features (7)	Intelligent Fail-Safe Switch-Over Algorithm
Processor	ARM Cortex-M3 on FPGA
Processor (2)	Microchip/Microsemi SmartFuion2 Flash Based FPGA
Processor (3)	Microsemi ProASIC3 Flash Based FPGA for Interaface
Processor (4)	FPU on FPGA Upon Request
Processor (5)	150 DMIPS @ 128 MHz
Processor (min)	SoftConsole/Keil Programming and Debug via JTAG
Memory ram	160Mbits MRAM 40 bits width (128Mbits+32Mbits ECC)
Memory rom	96Mbits MRAM (Configurable as Triple 32Mbits)
Memory nonvolatile flash memory	Total 24Gbit SLC NAND Flash (Triple 8G)
Memory	256K Serial FRAM
Memory (2)	256M Serial NOR
Environment radiation hardness total ionizing dose	30Krad (Si)/yr
Environment	Latch-up Immune
Environment (2)	SEE @ 60MeV
Environment temperature & pressure	-40 C to +85 C @ 10-8 bar
Environment shocks	2000 g, 2000-10000 Hz
Environment random vibrations	14 g(RMS) 3-Axis , 20~2000 Hz
Interfaces digital outputs	100 (5 V/3.3 V)
Interfaces digital inputs	90 (5 V/3.3 V)
Interfaces pwm/pulse outputs	10 (5 V/3.3 V)
Interfaces ADC	128CH 16-bit (-10V~+10 V, +20 V Range Available)
Interfaces DAC	2CH 8-bit (0 V~5 V)
Interfaces serial can2.0	5 (Up to 1 Mbps)
Interfaces serial full-duplex RS422	8
Interfaces serial half-duplex RS485	8
Interfaces serial RS232	1
Interfaces serial I2C	1
Interfaces serial SPI	1
Budget dimensions	205x203x87 mm
Budget mass	4250gr
Budget power supply	5 V ±5%, Custom Range Available
Budget power consumption	3 W ~ 5 W
Flight heritage	Flight proven onboard computer for number of satellite projects

The CAVU OBC-1 is a cutting-edge, FPGA-based satellite computing system designed for reliable and efficient operation in space, featuring intelligent redundancy and advanced command and control capabilities.

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Expected life-time	3-5 years in LEO
Processor	Microchip/Microsemi SmartFuion2 Flash Based FPGA
Processor core	ARM Cortex-M3 on FPGA
Fpu	on FPGA Upon Request
Processor speed	150 DMIPS @ 128 MHz, Max 166 MHz
Programming ide	SoftConsole or Keil
Debug	via JTAG
Ram	80Mbits MRAM 40 bits width (64Mbits+16Mbits ECC)
Rom	48Mbits MRAM (Conffigurable as Triple 16Mbits)
Nonvolatile flash memory	Total 96Gbit SLC NAND Flash (Triple 32G)
Serial fram	256K
Serial nor	256M
Radiation tolerance - total ionizing dose	30Krad (Si)/yr
Latch-up	Immune
SEE	@ 60MeV
Temperature & pressure	-40 C to +85 C @ 10-8 bar
Shocks	2000 g, 2000-10000 Hz
Random vibrations	14 g(RMS) 3-Axis , 20~2000 Hz
Digital outputs	70 (5 V/3.3 V)
Digital inputs	30 (5 V/3.3 V)
ADC	32CH 16-bit (-10V ~ +10 V, +20 V Range Available)
DAC	2CH 12-bit (0 V~5 V)
Can2.0	4 (Up to 1 Mbps)
Full-duplex RS422	1
Half-duplex RS485	2
RS232	1
I2C	1
SPI	1
Dimensions	160x100 mm
Mass	75gr
Power supply	5 V ±5%, Custom Range Available
Power consumption	1 W ~ 2 W

Main OBC for SmallSat platform

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Memory (RAM)	160Mbits MRAM 40 bits width (128Mbits+32Mbits ECC)
Memory (ROM)	96Mbits MRAM (Configurable as Triple 32Mbits)
Memory (Nonvolatile Flash)	Total 24Gbit SLC NAND Flash (Triple 8G), 256K Serial FRAM, 256M Serial NOR
Radiation hardness (Total Ionizing Dose)	30Krad (Si)/yr
Operating temperature	-40 C to +85 C
Pressure	10 bar
Shocks	2000 g, 2000-10000 Hz
Random vibrations	14 g(RMS) 3-Axis , 20~2000 Hz
Expected lifetime	3-5 years in LEO
Dimensions	205x203x87 mm
Mass	4250gr
Supply voltage	5 V ±5%
Power consumption	3 W ~ 5 W
Interfaces (Digital Outputs)	100 (5 V/3.3 V)
Interfaces (Analog To Digital Converter)	128 (16bits, -10V~+10 V)

Flight-proven

CubeSat Camera for 2U, 3U & 12U

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Resolution	2,448 * 2,048
Form factor	2U
Mass	1.1 kg
Aperture size	60 mm
Efl	400 mm
Pixel size	3.4 µm
GSD @500km orbit	4.25 m/pixel
Swath	10.4 km
Dimensions	200 mm ☓ 96 mm ☓ 96 mm
Supply voltage	12 V
Interfaces	Samtec & Nano-D
Data interface	LVDS + RS422 + Ethernet
Data transmission interface	UART RS485 @6.25
Image format	RAW + JPEG
Radiation tolerance	30 krad, 60 MeV
Processor	PolarFire FPGA, NVIDIA Jetson Xavier

The FG-1 is a state-of-the-art Cubesat satellite board designed for high-quality image capture from CameraLink cameras, featuring a radiation-hardened FPGA and robust environmental specifications for space operation.

Supply voltage	Single 12 V or 5 V and 12 V
Power consumption	<1 W for FG-1 Board
Mass	75gr
Dimensions	Cubesat standard
Temperature	-40 C to +85 C @ 10 bar
Radiation hardness	30Krad (Si), SEE @ 60MeV Latch-up Immune
Shocks	ISS CubeSat Deployer Compatible
Random vibrations	ISS CubeSat Deployer Compatible
Nand flash	Up to 64Gbit SLC with ECC and EDAC protection
Serial memory	FRAM/MRAM
Dram	1Gb with optional ECC and EDAC
Interfaces	CAN2.0
Interfaces (2)	High Speed QSPI LVDS Payload
Interfaces (3)	Configurable UART and I2C
Interfaces (4)	Optional Micro-D for Control
Interfaces (5)	SDR26 Medium/Full Camera Interface

OBC based on PolarFire FPGA SoC in 3U VPX

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Processor	Microchip MPFS460T-1FCG1152I / MPFS460TS-1FCG1152I (with security)
Risc-v cores	Quad 64-bit U54 application cores + 1× E51 monitor core — >4,000 DMIPS total
FPGA fabric	461k logic elements, 784 DSP blocks — flash-based, no SRAM bitstream
Vectorblox™	Up to 279 GOPs INT8 (V1000 config, no TMR) / 156 GOPs with synthesised TMR
Serdes	20 lanes at up to 12.7 Gbps each
Pcie	Gen2 ×4 hard block (expansion plane)
SEU / TID	ZeroFIT SEU-immune; >30 krad (Si) TID; latch-up immune; SECDED BRAM ECC
Operating temperature	−40°C to +85°C conduction-cooled (VITA 48.2)
Memory	16 GB ECC DDR4 + 4 GB LPDDR4 — 20 GB total usable memory
Storage	512 GB eMMC (2× 256 GB)
Form factor	3U SpaceVPX (VITA 78)
Dimensions	100 × 160 mm (220 mm depth option)
Power consumption	3–5 W Nominal / 7 W peak
Supply voltage	5 V from backplane (P0/J0)
Mass	~120 g (PCB); 500–650 g with enclosure & wedge-lock rails
Interfaces	GigE (RJ45), SpaceWire (Micro-D 9), I/O / Debug (Micro-D 25)

CubeSat OBC based in SmartFusion2

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Processor	ARM Cortex-M3 on FPGA
Processor (2)	Microchip/Microsemi SmartFuion2 Flash Based FPGA
Processor (3)	150 DMIPS @ 128 MHz
Memory	112Mbits MRAM 40 bits width (96Mbits+16Mbits ECC)
Memory (2)	48Mbits MRAM (Configurable as Triple 16Mbits)
Memory (3)	512KB eNVM
Storage	Upto 192Gbit SLC NAND Flash (Triple 64G)
Storage (2)	4Mbit Serial FRAM
Storage (3)	256M Serial NOR
Interfaces	CAN2.0: 4
Interfaces (2)	RS422: 8
Interfaces (3)	RS485: 4
Interfaces (4)	RS232: 2
Interfaces (5)	I2C: 2
Interfaces (6)	SPI: 2
Interfaces (7)	Space Wire: 2

OBC based on PIC-64 SOSA aligned HPSC

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Processor	PIC64-HPSC1000 / PIC64-HPSC1100 family (RISC-V vector compute)
Processor cores	8× RISC-V SiFive® X280 vector cores + S7 system controller
Performance	~26K DMIPS class; up to 2 TOPS (INT8) / 1 TFLOPS (bf16)
Memory	DDR4 ECC, up to 16 GB
Storage	eMMC / NAND / NOR / QSPI; MRAM/FRAM options
High-speed i/o	10GbE/TSN, PCIe Gen3 ×8 (CXL-capable at silicon level)
Tsn ethernet switching fabric	up to 240 Gbps aggregate switching capability
Spacewire	up to 7 ports (RMAP-compatible; 10–200 Mbps)
Software	Linux®, RTEMS, Xen / partitioning support
Security / partitioning	hardware domain isolation (WorldGuard)
Radiation tolerance (TID class)	RT: ~50 krad (Si); RH: ~100 krad (Si)
Form factor	3U SpaceVPX
Dimensions (L×W×H)	~100 × 160 × 25 mm
Mass	~650 g incl. conduction plate & housing
Power consumption	8–15 W; up to 25 W peak
Interfaces	TSN Ethernet, PCIe Gen3, SpaceWire

CubeSat OBC based on PolarFire FPGA

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Processor	Microchip PolarFire SoC Flash Based FPGA SoC
Processor (2)	Quad 64-bit RISC-V on FPGA + 1 RISC-V Monitoring Core
Memory	RAM: 2 GB or 4 GB with ECC Protection
Memory (2)	MRAM: Triple 16 MB or 32 MB MRAM (Total 48 MB or 96 MB)
Storage	Nonvolatile Storage: 64 GB Flash via Dual 32 GB eMMC
Interfaces	Digital I/O: 20-60
Interfaces (2)	ADC: 8/16CH with 12-bit or 16-bit resolution
Interfaces (3)	Space Wire: 1 or 2
Interfaces (4)	1G Ethernet: 1 or 2
Interfaces (5)	SerDes: Via GSN Connector for PCIE, JESD, etc.
Interfaces (6)	CAN2.0: 4
Interfaces (7)	RS422 and RS485: 2 to 8
Interfaces (8)	I2C: 2 to 4
Interfaces (9)	SPI: 2 to 4
Operating temperature	-40°C to +85°C @ 10-8 bar
Mass	80gr

Flight-proven

OnBoard Computer based on PolarFire FPGA SoC

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Processor	RISC-V MSS: 4× 64-bit U54 application cores + 1× E51 monitor core
FPGA fabric	Microchip PolarFire SoC FPGA — two variants: MPFS250T (254k LE) & MPFS460T (461k LE)
Memory (Fabric)	DDR4 SDRAM 8 GB 72-bit ECC Enabled
Memory (MSS)	LPDDR4 SDRAM 4 GB 32-bit
Storage	Dual 256 GB eMMC
Storage (2)	Dual 512 Mbit QSPI NOR Flash
Storage (3)	4 Mbit SPI MRAM SEU Immune
Interfaces	4× RS-422 full-duplex serial
Interfaces (2)	4× RS-232 serial
Interfaces (3)	4× CAN
Interfaces (4)	4× RS-485
Interfaces (5)	32× buffered GPIO (GPIOB [1...32]) in 4 banks + 8× buffered bidirectional I/O (IO [1...8]) + 8× Direct-IO
Interfaces (6)	1× I2C
Interfaces (7)	2× LVDS differential pairs (SpaceWire ECSS-E-ST-50-12C compatible)
Interfaces (8)	2× Gigabit Ethernet
Interfaces (9)	Up to 4× additional GbE via 6-Ethernet addon card (total 6× GbE)

800, 1000W Power Module in VPX form factor

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Form factor	3U VPX power module per VITA 62.0 / VITA 48.2, 2.00 inch pitch
Envelope (max)	3.94 in W × 6.63 in L × 2.00 in H
Mass	3.6 lb typical, 3.8 lb maximum
Cooling	Conduction cooled through card edge and wedge-lock path
Operating temperature	−40 °C to +85 °C card-edge
Storage temperature	−55 °C to +105 °C
Supply voltage	16–36 VDC continuous
Nominal input	28 VDC
Full-power input	27–36 VDC
Power consumption	1000 W-class output power
Efficiency	90% at nominal input & 50–100% load
+12 v_main output	+12.0 VDC, 80 A, 960 W
+3.3 v_aux output	+3.3 VDC, 15 A, 50 W
Total output power	1000 W class, allocated as 950 W + 50 W
Interfaces	VITA 62.0 VPX P0
Hold-up	Integrated hold-up capacitor bank

Flight-proven

The RavenEye5 is a flight-proven, highly reliable optical payload designed for CubeSats, capable of capturing high-resolution images for Earth observation and atmospheric monitoring.

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Aperture size	60 mm
Available in	5, 16 & 51 Mpixel
Data interface	LVDS + RS422 + Ethernet
Data transmission interface	UART RS485 @6.25
Image format	RAW + JPEG
Adjustable parameters	Integration Time , Frame Rate , Gain, Black Level
Dimensions	2U
Mass	1,300 gr
Power consumption	Less than 5 W

Smart efficient thermal management for space systems

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Dimensions (L×W×H)	160 mm × 170 mm × 38 mm
Mass	1,000 gr (Std. version)
Power consumption	1.5 W ~ 3 W
Supply voltage	28 V / 75 V ±4 V
Interfaces	CAN, RS422 RS485, RS232, GPIO, Debug: JTAG, SoftConsole or Keil
Processor	FPGA and SoC based control
Memory	eMMC
Storage	store data for 45 days
Accuracy	±0.2°C
Expected lifetime	3 to 5 Years
Radiation tolerance	30 kRad, SEE 60 MeV, Latch-up Immune

Flight-proven

AI OnBorad Computer- PolarFire FPGA paired with NVIDIA Jetson

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Processor	NVIDIA JETSON ORIN AGX Industrial & Microchip PolarFire SoC MPFS460T
Ai performance	248 TOPS
Memory	64 GB ECC LPDDR5
Memory bandwidth	204.8 GB/s
Interfaces	PCIe x8, PCIe x4, CSI-2, Camera Link HS, Camera Link Base/Medium/Full, 10GbE copper, 1GbE, SpaceWire
Storage	1 TB system NVMe, 1.92 TB mission SSD, 64 GB eMMC
Supply voltage	12 V to 18 V DC
Power consumption	150 W maximum
Dimensions (L×W×H)	220 mm × 130 mm × 46 mm
Mass	1.8 kg baseline; 2.0 kg max
Operating temperature	-40 °C to +85 °C
Storage temperature	-55 °C to +125 °C
Cooling	Conduction cooling
FPGA fabric	461k logic elements
Cpu	12-core Arm Cortex-A78AE v8.2 64-bit CPU
Fabric memory	8 GB user-visible DDR4 with SECDED ECC

Additional Services

Integration & testing

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Development of rugged hardware, efficient software solutions, and seamless integration of all system components

CAVU Aerospace's extensive expertise in aerospace systems and precision manufacturing includes the development of rugged hardware and efficient software solutions. They also provide seamless integration of all system components, ensuring that each satellite operates effectively even in the harshest space…

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Engineering & analysis

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Design of robust, radiation-tolerant, and high-performance OBC platform

As an official Microchip Design Partner and a participant in the High-Performance Spaceflight Computing (HPSC) program, CAVU Aerospace benefits from early access to PIC64 technology. This allows them to design a robust, radiation-tolerant, and high-performance OBC platform specifically tailored for…

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Other services

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The Thermal Control Unit offered by CAVU Aerospace provides efficient thermal management for satellite systems, ensuring reliable performance in space. It utilizes FPGA-based control with SEU mitigation and radiation mitigation techniques to optimize power use for long-duration missions. The unit…

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CAVU Aerospace

About CAVU Aerospace

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