Data Storage System
Radiation-Hardened Mass Data Storage System
The radiation-hardened mass data storage system comprises solid-state drives and magnetoresistive random-access memory configured to persistently retain operational logs, flight software, and system configurations within the command and data handling architecture. Operating on the lunar surface without a protective magnetosphere exposes storage media to ionizing radiation, where cumulative total ionizing dose causes threshold voltage shifts in flash memory cells and single-event upsets corrupt stored bits. To preserve data integrity over a 100-year mission lifetime, the assembly employs Reed-Solomon error-correcting codes, continuous memory scrubbing, wear leveling, and RAID-like redundancy across storage devices, combined with hierarchical storage management that tiers data by access frequency and criticality.
Radiation-hardened SSDs and MRAM for operational data logging and software storage
Purpose
Store operational data, flight software, and system configuration persistently
Context
Component of L1-CDH within the Lunar Ark system
Principles
- ▸RAID-like redundancy across multiple storage devices protects against individual device failure
- ▸Error-correcting codes (ECC, Reed-Solomon) detect and correct radiation-induced bit errors
- ▸Wear leveling extends flash memory lifetime by distributing write cycles evenly
- ▸Hierarchical storage management tiers data by access frequency and criticality
Typical implementations
- ▸3D NAND flash with radiation-hardened controllers for space applications
- ▸MRAM (Magnetoresistive RAM) for radiation-tolerant non-volatile storage
- ▸BAE Systems RAD-PAK solid-state recorder
- ▸SEAKR SmartFusion2 solid-state recorder for CubeSats and SmallSats
Lunar considerations
- ▸Total ionizing dose causes threshold voltage shifts in flash memory cells
- ▸Single-event upsets require continuous scrubbing of stored data
- ▸100-year mission requires multiple generations of storage technology replacement
- ▸Must store operational logs, science data, and system state for entire mission duration
Specifications
Functional
| primary function | Store operational data, flight software, and system configuration persistently |
Operational
| thermal range c | -173, 127 |
| lifetime years | 100 |
Interfaces
Provides
- Persistent data storage and retrieval for flight computer
- Operational data archive feed
Requires
- Data bus access for storage read/write operations
- Power for storage arrays (~20-50W)
Decomposes into
Cite this entry
Lunar Ark Codex. "Data Storage System" (L2-CDH-STOR). Retrieved 10 September 2026, from https://lunarark.com/entry/L2-CDH-STOR
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