Scientists at the Raman Research Institute (RRI), Bengaluru, have developed an innovative credit card-sized computer to aid PRATUSH, a pioneering lunar-orbiting mission that seeks to detect faint radio signals from the universe’s earliest stars. These signals, emanating from hydrogen atoms during the Cosmic Dawn—when the first stars and galaxies formed—have long eluded observation due to interference from Earth’s radio noise. PRATUSH plans to overcome this challenge by operating from the far side of the Moon, one of the quietest locations in the inner solar system.
The compact single-board computer (SBC) designed by RRI acts as the mission’s core controller, coordinating key payload components including an antenna, radio receiver, and data processing chip (FPGA). Its low power consumption and light weight make it ideal for space deployment. “Single-board computers offer an optimal balance of size, performance, and efficiency, enabling us to process vast streams of cosmic radio data while minimizing payload constraints,” explained Girish B.S., Research Scientist at RRI.
Laboratory tests demonstrated the system’s impressive sensitivity, reducing signal noise to mere millikelvins over hundreds of hours of reference data collection. This performance is vital for isolating the elusive 21-centimeter hydrogen signal critical to understanding the universe’s formative years. Associate Professors Saurabh Singh and Mayuri S. Rao highlighted the SBC’s potential role in future missions designed to explore space’s most remote frontiers.
If successful, PRATUSH could revolutionize cosmic research by providing unprecedented insights into how the first stars illuminated the universe, potentially unveiling new physics governing early celestial evolution. By leveraging a tiny computer as the mission’s brain, RRI is at the forefront of making space science more efficient and accessible.
