NASA Awards LeWiz Phase III Avionics Networking Contract

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LeWiz Communications, Inc. has been awarded a NASA Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase III contract to develop an advanced avionics networking system designed to improve communications and interoperability among spacecraft electronic systems. The award builds upon LeWiz's longstanding collaboration with multiple NASA centers and the U.S. Navy in developing advanced Ethernet networking technologies for demanding aerospace and defense applications.

Addressing a Critical Spaceflight Networking Challenge

Ethernet is widely used across commercial and industrial networks. However, conventional Ethernet technology does not fully address the deterministic timing, reliability, and mission-critical performance requirements of aerospace systems. To meet these challenges, industry standards organizations (SAE International and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers), have advanced two important technologies:

• Time-Triggered Ethernet (TTE): Provides predictable, deterministic communications for mission-critical systems and has been deployed aboard NASA's Orion spacecraft in support of the Artemis program.
• Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN): Extends Ethernet capabilities to support time-critical communications, improved interoperability, and advanced network management.

As spacecraft architectures evolve, the ability to connect systems operating under different networking standards becomes increasingly important.

Bridging Between TTE and TSN

Under the Phase III contract, LeWiz will develop a TTE-to-TSN Bridge System that enables communication and interoperability between devices operating across these two networking technologies. The system will support both existing and emerging avionics subsystems, helping NASA integrate new capabilities while preserving investments in established spacecraft systems. LeWiz's development effort includes a complete hardware system comprising the SOSA Space Appendix compliant chassis, backplane, networking boards and the firmware/software associated with the system. The design will address the demanding environmental and reliability requirements associated with spaceflight and applicable aerospace standards. The technology is intended to support spacecraft, space stations, and Lunar and Mars exploration architectures, where reliable, interoperable communications are essential to mission success.

Building on Years of NASA and Navy Research

The Phase III award represents an important step toward transitioning technologies developed through LeWiz's earlier SBIR Phase I and Phase II projects into operationally relevant aerospace systems. Through its work with NASA and the U.S. Navy, LeWiz has developed specialized expertise in deterministic Ethernet networking, including TTE and TSN technologies. The new contract advances that research toward an integrated networking solution designed to meet the evolving requirements of future aerospace missions.

"We are honored and excited to receive this NASA Phase III award," said Chinh Le, CEO of LeWiz Communications. "This opportunity represents an important milestone for our company and reflects years of dedicated research and development in advanced avionics networking. Contributing technology that could support future human space exploration missions is both a tremendous responsibility and a realization of our long-term vision."