ISRO and SCL Deliver 32-bit Microprocessors for Space Applications
On March 5, 2025, the Semiconductor Laboratory (SCL) in Chandigarh handed over the first production batches of the 32-bit microprocessors VIKRAM3201 and KALPANA3201 to ISRO. These microprocessors were developed by the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) in collaboration with SCL for space applications. The processors were received by V. Narayanan, Secretary, Department of Space and Chairman of ISRO, from S. Krishnan, Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), at an event in New Delhi.
VIKRAM3201 is a 32-bit microprocessor designed for launch vehicle applications. Fabricated at SCL’s 180nm CMOS semiconductor facility, it is an upgraded version of the VIKRAM1601, a 16-bit processor that has been used in ISRO’s launch vehicle avionics systems since 2009. A domestic version of VIKRAM1601 was introduced in 2016 following the establishment of the semiconductor fabrication facility at SCL. The new processor includes a custom instruction set architecture, floating-point computation capability, and support for the Ada programming language. ISRO has also developed an in-house Ada compiler, assembler, linker, and simulator, with a C compiler currently in development. The processor was successfully validated in space aboard the PSLV-C60 mission's Orbital Experimental Module.
KALPANA3201 is a 32-bit SPARC V8 RISC microprocessor based on the IEEE 1754 instruction set architecture. It is compatible with open-source software toolsets and has been tested with flight software.
In addition to the microprocessors, four other semiconductor devices were handed over for launch vehicle avionics system miniaturization. These include two versions of a reconfigurable data acquisition system integrating 24-bit sigma-delta analog-to-digital converters, a relay driver integrated circuit, and a multi-channel low drop-out regulator integrated circuit designed for high-reliability applications.
During the event, SCL and VSSC signed a memorandum of understanding for the development of miniaturized unsteady pressure sensors for wind tunnel testing.