scope:

This NASA Technical Standard describes the Space Telecommunications Radio System (STRS) architecture for software-defined radios (SDRs), an open architecture for NASA space and ground radios. STRS provides a common, consistent framework to abstract the application software from the STRS platform hardware to reduce the cost and risk of using complex reconfigurable and reprogrammable radio systems across NASA missions. It achieves this objective by defining an architecture to enable the reuse of applications (waveforms and services implemented on the SDR) across heterogeneous SDR platforms and reduce dependence on a single vendor. The NASA Technical Standard provides a detailed description and set of requirements to implement the architecture. The NASA Technical Standard focuses on the key architecture components and subsystems by describing their functionality and interfaces for both the hardware and the software, including the applications. The intended audience for this NASA Technical Standard is composed of software and hardware developers who need architecture specification details to develop an STRS platform or application.

A corresponding NASA Technical Handbook, NASA-HDBK-4009A, Space Telecommunications Radio System (STRS) Architecture Standard Rationale, provides the rationale for the decisions made to develop the architecture, provides additional information to clarify the requirements, gives further examples, and answers questions from users.

This NASA Technical Standard is only one of a set of documents to be provided by the mission and used by the STRS platform providers or STRS application developers in the development of an STRS-compliant radio and/or applications. This NASA Technical Standard defines a standard part of the architecture for software-defined radios. The complete architecture is determined by the project. Typical radio acquisition specifications, which include size, weight, power, radiation and safety requirements, connector details, performance and behavior requirements, documentation, and data rights agreements are to accompany this NASA Technical Standard in a radio procurement.