A flexible fault tolerant processor for launch vehicle avionics systems

The multicomputer architecture for fault tolerance (MAFT), a highly flexible approach to achieving fault-tolerant data processing in launch vehicle avionics systems, is described. It offers a multi-lane building block method for designing real-time control systems which are capable of extremely reliable computations and which provide tolerance to a broad class of faults. MAFT is readily adaptable to computer processing applications in both expendable and reusable launch vehicles which carry critical or extremely high-cost payloads. MAFT is well suited for mission-critical processing functions, and can be implemented in a variety of data management system architectures, such as centralized, federated, or distributed configurations. MAFT provides a flexible, highly modular, easily maintained system, having low program life cycle costs.<>