Small Deep Space Transponder

The Small Deep Space Transponder is a transponder designed by JPL specifically for deep space probes.

[1] It unifies a number of communication functions - receiver, command detector, telemetry modulator, exciters, beacon tone generator, and control functions - into one 3-kg package.

JPL estimates that performing the same functions with separate units (as was done previously) requires over twice the mass and 4 or 5 individual subassemblies.

[5] However, as the Dawn telecom 'lessons learned' section points out, the use of common hardware such as the SDST allows knowledge of these characteristics from previous projects.

[5] For cubesat missions, the SDST is too big, heavy, and power-hungry.