PolarStore-4N
3U SpaceVPX NVMe Storage Module
SpaceVPX VITA 78 NVMe PCIe Gen3 up to 16 TB
DESCRIPTION
The PolarStore-4N is a 3U SpaceVPX (VITA 78) payload storage module housing four high-endurance NVMe solid-state drives with up to 16 TB total capacity. Each drive interfaces to the host OBC via PCIe Gen3 ×4 lanes over the SpaceVPX data plane, delivering an aggregate sequential read throughput of up to 14 GB/s. As a fully passive module, the PolarStore-4N places all storage management, namespacing, and FDIR logic in the host OBC-Polar VPX, minimising the module component count and associated failure modes. It is the highest-capacity single-slot storage solution in the CAVU SpaceVPX family.
KEY FEATURES
- Up to 16 TB NVMe, 4× up to 4 TB NVMe SSDs — maximum capacity in the PolarStore family
- 14 GB/s Aggregate, 4× 3,500 MB/s sequential read — highest throughput in the SpaceVPX portfolio
- <100 µs Latency, Random-read latency per drive — deterministic for real-time data pipelines
- PCIe Gen3 ×4 per Drive, 4× independent PCIe Gen3 ×4 channels via SpaceVPX data plane
- 8M IOPS, Up to 700k random 4K read IOPS per drive — 2.8M IOPS aggregate
- Power ~14 W Nominal, Low per-TB power — ~0.9 W/TB at full load
- Passive Architecture, No on-board processor — full drive control by host OBC via PCIe
- VITA 78 Compliant, 3U SpaceVPX SLT3-PAY payload slot — compatible with all CAVU backplanes
- 30 krad TID, Radiation-tolerant drives and signal conditioning — latch-up immune
- OBC-Polar VPX Ready, Pre-validated with NVMe over SERDES firmware personality; zero NRE
- Conduction-Cooled, VITA 48.2 wedge-lock — sealed, vacuum-compatible
- Compact Mass, ~265 g — up to 16 TB in a single 3U payload slot
DRIVE SPECIFICATIONS
Drive count: 4 (fixed)
Drive type: High-endurance NVMe SSD — PCIe Gen3 ×4, industrial temperature range
Capacity per drive: Up to 4 TB
Total raw capacity: Up to 16 TB
Protocol: NVMe 1.4 over PCIe Gen3 ×4
Sequential read: Up to 3,500 MB/s per drive (~14 GB/s aggregate)
Sequential write: Up to 3,000 MB/s per drive
Random read (4K): Up to 700,000 IOPS per drive (2.8M IOPS aggregate)
Random write (4K): Up to 250,000 IOPS per drive
Read latency: <100 µs (random, 4K)
Endurance: >1 DWPD; rated 5-year mission lifetime
HOST INTERFACE & POWER
Host interface: NVMe (PCIe Gen3 ×4 per drive) via SpaceVPX data plane SERDES
On-card logic: Passive — no processor, no controller, no firmware
PCIe lanes used: 16 total (4 per drive) via SpaceVPX data plane
Power supply: 5 V and 12 V from SpaceVPX backplane P0/J0
Power nominal: ∼14 W (all drives active)
Power idle: ∼5 W (drives in low-power state
RADIATION & ENVIRONMENT
TID tolerance: >30 krad (Si) — drives and signal path
SEL immunity: Latch-up immune signal conditioning
Operating temp.: −40°C to +85°C conduction-cooled (VITA 48.2)
Non-op temp.: −55°C to +125°C
Shock: Per MIL-STD-810 Method 516
Vibration: Per MIL-STD-810 Method 514
Vacuum: Fully compatible — no convection cooling paths
MECHANICAL
Form factor: 3U SpaceVPX (VITA 78) Payload Module
Slot profile: SLT3-PAY
Dimensions: 100 × 160 mm (220 mm depth option)
Connector: VITA-46 MULTIGIG RT2
Cooling: Conduction-cooled, VITA 48.2 wedge-lock
Mass: ∼265 g
SYSTEM COMPATIBILITY
OBC-Polar VPX: Native — NVMe recorder personality pre-validated
SpaceVPX-BP-SS: Compatible — any SLT3-PAY slot (uses 16 PCIe lanes)
SpaceVPX-BP-DS: Compatible — any SLT3-PAY slot, dual-string capable
PCIe switch card: Required if deploying multiple PolarStore-4N on one backplane
PolarStore-4S: Can co-reside on same backplane for mixed SATA / NVMe config
