Mtron SSDs Selected as Main Storage Solution by NASA

Mtron Storage Technology Co., Ltd. announced that their SSD will be used as the main 1TB data storage for ANITA (Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna), a project funded by NASA to research on high-energy cosmic ray from the South Pole, during the 2nd experiment in December.

ANITA is a radio telescope attached to NASA’s stratospheric balloon to detect radio ‘cherenkov’, a frequency created by collision between neutrinos from space and the ice in Antarctica, in order to discover the creation of high-energy cosmic ray. ANITA was first launched in 2006 and the research was conducted through the summer season in the South Pole last year with 40 researchers from 12 institutions including University of Hawaii and National Taiwan University. ANITA’s 2nd experiment will be conducted in December.

Mtron’s 1TB SSD used for ANITA is the combination of eight Mtron 3.5 inch SATA SSDs, which provides the largest SSD storage space among NASA’s stratospheric balloons. ANITA will be flying 35km above Antarctica for a month, and Mtron’s SSD will also provide the essential stability and protection to store the data against the extreme environment in the high altitude during the flight.

Ji-Woo Nam, the conductor of 1TB storage equipments from National Taiwan University, announced that “Mtron’s SSD makes it possible for us to store a large amount of data in the safest way against the Antractica’s extreme condition. We are very satisfied with Mtron SSD’s excellent performance, stability, and the cost.”

Jack Han, the Director of Mtron, said, “With these advantages, Mtron will launch a new XTM series in coming 3rd quarter 2008,  focusing on highly specialized industries such as military, aviation, aerospace, and medical industry where SSD is much more effective than HDD."