In this image from late 2010, software engineers worked in the background as Glenn Research Center technician, Joe Kerka, rotated the SCaN Testbed flight enclosure assembly. The Space Communications and Navigation, or SCaN Testbed will be launched on a Japanese H–IIB Transfer Vehicle and installed on the International Space Station and will provide an on-orbit, adaptable software-defined radio facility with corresponding ground and operational systems. This will permit mission operators to remotely change the functionality of radio communications and offer the flexibility to adapt to new science opportunities and recover from anomalies within the science payload or communication system. This effort is sponsored by the SCaN Program as part of the , CoNNeCT, or Communications, Navigation, and Networking reConfigurable Testbed Project led by Glenn Research Center.
The Glenn Research Center will host a media event at 10:30 am on Friday, Feb. 10, to showcase the SCaN Testbed before it is shipped to Japan.Image Credit: NASA/Quentin L. Schwinn