DARPA selects Intel for its program to accelerate inter-satellite communications

Intel said Monday it has joined the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency or DARPA's Space-Based Adaptive Communications Node (Space-BACN) program aimed at creating low-cost internet of satellites, enabling seamless communication between diverse satellite constellations. 

The Space-BACN program will facilitate collaboration among partners to ensure that the optical communications terminal being designed is reconfigurable to provide interoperability among the participating constellation providers. 

"Intel's vision is to create world-changing technology that improves the life of every person on the planet. This program helps us to deliver on that vision by enabling global connectivity from space to anywhere across the planet – enabling broadband services and the IoT where not just every person but everything is connected," said Sergey Shumarayev, Intel senior principal engineer and principal investigator in the Programmable Solutions CTO Group.

As for Intel's BACN Solution, the chip maker is developing its optical modem solution by bringing together experts from its field programmable gate array (FPGA) product group, packaging technologists from its Assembly Test Technology Development (ATTD) division and researchers from Intel Labs.

Based on its leading-edge low-power Intel Agilex FPGA, Intel will also design three new chiplets that will be integrated into a single multi-chip package (MCP).

DARPA has selected Intel for Phase 1 of the program, where the latter will design each of the above chiplets and work with the other performers to fully define the interfaces between the system components in each of the other technical areas. Phase 1 of the Space-BACN program will last 14 months and conclude with a preliminary design review, according to a statement. 

Excited to announce @Intel's role in @DARPA's Space-BACN program. Our chiplet designs will enable global connectivity from space to anywhere on the planet, all at the speed of light!https://t.co/i3V52u5YGj

— Pat Gelsinger (@PGelsinger) October 10, 2022