space wire illustrated map
DESCRIPTION
Spacewire SlideshowTRANSCRIPT
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Spacecraft Technology from Dundee
Steve Parkes
Space Technology Centre, University of Dundee
STAR-Dundee Ltd
Spacecraft images courtesy of ESA
Spacecraft onboard data-handling
Computer network technology for spacecraft
– SpaceWire
Connects together data-handling elements
onboard a spacecraft:
– Instruments
– Processors
– Mass memory
– Telemetry and Telecommand
Standard interface
Forms the nervous system of a spacecraft
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SpaceWire Key Features
Similar purpose to USB
– Different technology
Designed for space applications
Simple
Implementation requires few logic gates
High performance
Flexible architecture
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9 Image courtesy NASA
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter
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Command and Data
Handling Computer
ACS LEND
DRLE CRATER LOLA
1553B
Mini-RF
Radar
SpW
NAC
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NAC
2WAC
LRO Camera (LRCO)
SpW
LAMP
HK/IO
SpW
Ka-
COMMSS-COMMS
SpWSpW
SpaceWire RouterLarge
Memory
11Image courtesy NASA
12 Image courtesy NASA
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Plug and Play Sat
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Image courtesy AFRL
Plug and Play Sat
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Image courtesy AFRL
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GAIA
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18 Image EADS Astrium
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23 Illustration: Akihiro Ikeshita / JAXA.
Sentinel 3
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SpaceWire
SpaceWire standard
– Written by University of Dundee
– With inputs from international spacecraft
engineers
SpaceWire technology
– Being used or designed into over 100 spacecraft
– Over $15 billion worth of spacecraft rely on it
Scientific, Exploration, Earth observation, Commercial
Dundee SpaceWire chip technology
designed into
– European, Japanese, USA, Chinese spacecraft
Successful spin-out company STAR-Dundee
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© STAR-Dundee Ltd 2012© STAR-Dundee Ltd 2011
STAR-Dundee Ltd
Operational for 11 years
Grown organically
Winner of Courier– “Business of the Year” Award 2013
– “Digital Business of the Year” Award 2013
Winner of two SMART awards
Customers include– ESA
– NASA
– JAXA
Many leading aerospace companies in– USA
– Europe26
© STAR-Dundee Ltd 2012© STAR-Dundee Ltd 2011
STAR-Dundee
Products
– SpaceWire test equipment
– SpaceWire chip designs
High value, low volume
Responsive to customer
requirements
Support important
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© STAR-Dundee Ltd 2012© STAR-Dundee Ltd 2011
The Team
18 people
16 FTEs
8 PhDs
Other highly skilled people
Mix of technical skills– Chip design
– Circuit design
– Board design
– Box design
– Software drivers
– Application software
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© STAR-Dundee Ltd 2012© STAR-Dundee Ltd 201129
Planetary Landers
How to land a spacecraft on a distant planet?
– Without a pilot on board
– Long communication delays
– Precision landing
– In potentially hazardous terrain
Robotic pilot
Eyes of robotic pilot
– Computer vision
– Measure spacecraft motion relative to the surface
– Visual information combined with information from
other navigation sensors
– Used to guide the spacecraft
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Image (N+1)
Feature Tracking
Image (N)
Target
Landing
Site
“Landmark”
Tracking
Eyes for Spacecraft Robotic Pilot
NPAL Camera Prototype
– Navigation for Planetary Approach and Landing
Team
– EADS Astrium (France)
– Selex Galileo (Italy)
– University of Dundee
Imaging
ChipControl
Proc.
Image Memory
Image
Proc.
SpW
To
OBC
Testing Vision Based Navigation
Having built a lander navigation system
– How can we test it?
Simulation
– PANGU:
Planet and Asteroid Natural-scene Generation Utility
– Software tool
Simulates planets and asteroids
Simulates cameras and other sensors viewing those
bodies
Developed specifically to test vision based GNC
algorithms
Realistic and high performance
Extensively tested and validated so that it can be used
for testing space flight systems
– Being used for lander, rover, orbiter simulation35
Descent videos: Malapert Ridge
– Based on a 960 m DEM centred on Malapert
Ridge near the South Pole Model with resolution
varying from 960 m to 47 cm.
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Landmark Recognition
Landmarks: sites of prominent Harris corners
Connected by a surface mesh
Surface mesh allows tracking of landmarks
– Lying over the asteroid horizon
– and in concave areas
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Landmark Recognition
Landmarks are projected into the image
– Using an estimate of the spacecraft position &
orientation
Matches are made with features in the
current navigation imagery
Estimated spacecraft position & orientation
optimised
– By minimising the difference between
– Expected and observed landmark position in the
image
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Planetary Landers
Navigation camera
– Prototype built and tested
– Engineering model currently under development
– Dundee providing image processing chip design
Test system
– PANGU simulator designed and built at Dundee
– Widely used in Europe for testing vision-based
navigation systems
Descent and landing, e.g. Lunar Polar
Asteroid landing, e.g. Marco Polo
Rover navigation, e.g. ExoMars
Spacecraft rendezvous and docking, e.g. Mars Sample
Return
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Earth Observation Data Reception
Dundee Satellite Receiving Station
One of main receiving stations in UK
Funded by NERC
– Natural Environment Research Council
Part of NEODAAS
– NERC Earth Observation Data Acquisition and
Analysis Service
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User community across UK
Marine
Atmospheric
Earth
Terrestrial & Freshwater
Polar
Earth Observation
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Haar
Sarahan Dust Over UK
www.spacetech.dundee.ac.uk
www.sat.dundee.ac.uk
www.neodaas.ac.uk
www.star-dundee.com
www.rapidqualitysystems.com
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