Imagine every satellite in orbit runs on a special chip that can survive brutal cosmic radiation. Until now, Europe had to buy those chips from the US — like a car manufacturer that can only get engines from one foreign supplier. VEGAS took a European-designed radiation-proof chip and put it through the toughest space qualification tests, moving it from lab prototype to flight-ready hardware. They also built the software tools engineers need to program these chips, so European space companies can design, test, and launch with a fully homegrown solution.
European satellite manufacturers and space system integrators depend almost entirely on US-made radiation-hardened FPGAs for mission-critical electronics. This creates serious supply chain risks — export controls (ITAR), long lead times, and single-source dependency that can delay or jeopardize entire missions. Europe needed its own space-qualified FPGA to guarantee independent access to this critical component.
The project validated two European radiation-hardened FPGAs (30k LUT and 130k LUT variants) in 65nm technology to TRL 7 under ESCC space evaluation rules. Concrete deliverables include an operative platform for radiation testing of the BRAVE FPGA and an operative platform for fault injection testing. Improved CAD software tools with timing analysis and Single Event Effect mitigation were also delivered, totalling 30 deliverables.
If you are a satellite manufacturer tired of long lead times and export restrictions on US-made radiation-hardened FPGAs — this project validated a European 65nm rad-hard FPGA to TRL 7 with full ESCC space evaluation. That means a qualified European alternative with 30k and 130k LUT options, ready for integration into your next mission without US dependency risks.
If you are an electronics supplier building processing units for space missions and need a reliable FPGA with radiation mitigation built in — VEGAS delivered an operative platform for radiation testing and fault injection, plus improved CAD software tools with timing and SEE mitigation. You get a chip that has been validated by end users and space-evaluated under ESCC rules.
If you are a defence or aerospace company designing avionics for high-radiation environments and face supply chain bottlenecks on rad-hard components — this project produced a European FPGA in 65nm technology validated to TRL 7. With 13 consortium partners including 11 industry players, the ecosystem for support and integration is already in place.
The project data does not include pricing information. However, NANOXPLORE (the coordinator and an SME) is a commercial FPGA vendor, so pricing would be available directly from them. European sourcing eliminates ITAR/export control overhead costs.
Two FPGA variants were validated: NG-FPGA-MEDIUM with 30k LUTs and NG-FPGA-LARGE with 130k LUTs, both in 65nm technology. The project achieved TRL 7, meaning the chip was demonstrated in a relevant space environment and evaluated under ESCC rules.
The FPGA technology is owned by NANOXPLORE, a French SME that operates as a commercial semiconductor company. The CAD software tools with timing and SEE mitigation were also developed within the project. Licensing terms would be commercial, available directly from NANOXPLORE.
VEGAS explicitly moved the FPGA from TRL 5 to TRL 7, which means space evaluation was completed following ESCC rules. End-user validation (TRL 6) and space evaluation (TRL 7) were both achieved as stated objectives. Demo deliverables confirm operative platforms for radiation testing and fault injection were built.
The project improved CAD tools by adding timing analysis and Single Event Effect (SEE) mitigation capabilities. These tools complement the hardware offering so engineers can design and verify radiation-tolerant FPGA configurations. Based on available project data, 30 deliverables were completed in total.
The consortium includes 13 partners across 4 countries (Germany, Spain, France, Italy) with 11 industry partners and 2 universities. The 85% industry ratio means the validation was driven by companies that actually build space systems, not just researchers.
The project closed in August 2020 with TRL 7 achieved. NANOXPLORE has been commercializing these FPGAs since then. Based on available project data, the technology moved from prototype (TRL 5) through user validation (TRL 6) to space evaluation (TRL 7) over the project duration.
This is an unusually industry-heavy consortium with 11 out of 13 partners (85%) coming from industry, plus only 2 universities. That composition signals this was a validation and commercialization effort, not basic research. The coordinator NANOXPLORE is a French SME and commercial FPGA manufacturer — meaning the technology owner led the project directly. Four countries (Germany, Spain, France, Italy) represent the core of European space industry. The strong industry presence means the FPGA was tested and validated by the companies that would actually use it in satellite programs, reducing the gap between project results and market adoption.
NANOXPLORE is a French SME specializing in radiation-hardened FPGAs. SciTransfer can facilitate an introduction to their business development team.
Want to evaluate this European rad-hard FPGA for your next space mission? SciTransfer can arrange a technical briefing with the NANOXPLORE team and provide a detailed capability comparison.
