ISRO Receives First Batch of Indigenous Chips for Space Missions

India has reached a major milestone in space electronics by developing and using two 32-bit microprocessors, VIKRAM3201 and KALPANA3201, for launch vehicle applications.

These chips are a major step towards India’s self-reliance in key space technologies. The VIKRAM3201 IS India’s first fully homegrown, space-qualified, 32-bit microprocessor.

Designed by Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) and made at the 180 nm CMOS fabrication facility of the Semiconductor Laboratory (SCL) in Chandigarh, the clip is a big upgrade from the 16-bit VIKRAM1601.

The older chip has been used in ISRO’s vehicle since 2000. A fully “Make in India” version was introduced in 2016 after local fabrication improved.

VIKRAM3201 has a custom instruction set, supports floating-point calculations, and natively runs the ADA program language.

ISRO has developed all supporting software tools in-house, including the ADA compiler, stimulator, and IDE. The AC compiler is also in progress to expand its applications.

KALPANA3201 is a 32-bit SPARC VS RISC microprocessor built in IEEE 1754 Instruction Set Architecture.
It is designed to work with open-source software tools and ISRO’s in-house simulator and IDE. Tested with flight software, it is a strong candidate for future avionics use.

On March 5, at the ceremony by SCL, S. Krishnan, Secretary of MeitY, officially handed over the first production batches of the processors to V. Narayanan, Secretary, Department of Space and Chairman, ISRO.

Along with this microprocessor, four other devices co-developed with SCL were handed over to aid in the miniaturisation of the launch vehicle's avionics use.

These included two versions of a Reconfigurable Data Acquisition System (RDAS) with multiple indigenously designed 24-bit Sigma Delta ADCs on a single chip, along with a Relay Driver Integrated Circuit and a Multi-Channel Low Drop-out Regulator Integrated Circuit for high-reliability applications.