Mohali, March 16 — The Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) and Semi-Conductor Laboratory (SCL), Mohali, have jointly developed Vikram 3201 and Kalpana 3201, India’s first fully indigenous 32-bit microprocessors for space applications, ISRO announced.
Vikram 3201, fabricated at SCL’s 180nm CMOS semiconductor fab, is the first Indian-made 32-bit microprocessor qualified for the extreme conditions of launch vehicles. It is an advanced version of the 16-bit Vikram 1601, which has been used in ISRO’s launch vehicle avionics since 2009. A “Make-in-India” version of Vikram 1601 was inducted in 2016 after SCL established its semiconductor fabrication facility.
Kalpana 3201, a 32-bit SPARC V8 RISC microprocessor, is based on the IEEE 1754 Instruction Set Architecture. Designed to support open-source software toolsets, it has been tested with flight software and ISRO’s in-house simulators and Integrated Development Environment (IDE).
According to ISRO, Vikram 3201 and Vikram 1601 feature a custom Instruction Set Architecture with floating-point computation capability and support for the Ada programming language. An in-house Ada compiler, assembler, linker, and simulator have been developed, with a C compiler also under development for expanded flexibility.
“This is a major step towards Atmanirbharata in high-reliability microprocessors and onboard computers for navigation, guidance, and control of launch vehicles,” ISRO said. The initial lot of Vikram 3201 devices was successfully validated in space aboard the PSLV Orbital Experimental Module (POEM-4) during the PSLV-C60 mission.
Technology Transfer and Future Developments
The first production units of Vikram 3201 and Kalpana 3201 were recently handed over to ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan by MeitY Secretary S. Krishnan. Four additional devices, jointly developed with SCL for launch vehicle avionics miniaturization, were also transferred.
These include two versions of a Reconfigurable Data Acquisition System (RDAS) integrating 24-bit Sigma-Delta Analog to Digital Converters, a Relay Driver Integrated Circuit, and a Multi-Channel Low Drop-out Regulator Integrated Circuit for high-reliability applications.
ISRO also signed an MoU with SCL for developing miniaturized unsteady pressure sensors to measure dynamic pressure in wind tunnels, further advancing indigenous aerospace technology.
