1. Spacecraft Technology from Dundee
Steve Parkes
Space Technology Centre, University of Dundee
STAR-Dundee Ltd
Spacecraft images courtesy of ESA
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2. Spacecraft onboard data-handling
Computer network technology for spacecraft
– SpaceWire
Connects together data-handling elements
onboard a spacecraft:
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Instruments
Processors
Mass memory
Telemetry and Telecommand
Standard interface
Forms the nervous system of a spacecraft
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8. SpaceWire Key Features
Similar purpose to USB
– Different technology
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Designed for space applications
Simple
Implementation requires few logic gates
High performance
Flexible architecture
25. 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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30. Planetary Landers
How to land a spacecraft on a distant planet?
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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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34. Eyes for Spacecraft Robotic Pilot
NPAL Camera Prototype
– Navigation for Planetary Approach and Landing
Team
– EADS Astrium (France)
– Selex Galileo (Italy)
– University of Dundee
Image Memory
Image
Proc.
Control
Proc.
Imaging
Chip
SpW
To
OBC
35. 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
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– Being used for lander, rover, orbiter simulation
36. 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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40. 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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41. 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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43. 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
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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
44. 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
SpaceWire is a data-handling network technology specifically designed or use onboard spacecraft.It connects together instruments, processors, mass memory and the telemetry/telecommand subsystem.SpaceWire provides a standard interface between all these elements, which simplifies integration and testing of the onboard data-handling system.Instruments and other units designed with SpaceWire interfaces are easy to reuse on other spacecraft,The SpaceWire standard was written by the University of Dundee with input from spacecraft engineers from across Europe.
SpaceWire is attractive for spacecraft designers because it is simple requiring relatively few logic gates to implement and is easy to use in a wide range of applications.It has a high performance providing high-speed, bidirectional communication at up to 200 Mbits/s.SpaceWire sends information in packets.SpaceWire is also extremely flexible, being adaptable to many different data-handling architectures.It has some special features like time-codes which are not present in other networks.
Launched June 2009
View from Surveyor 3 (landed April20,1967) to Apollo 12 Intrepid (landed Nov 19, 1969)I watched this on TV as a 13 year old.40 years later technology that I helped developed was being used to photograph the footsteps of these courageous explorers.It is humbling to think of what engineers in the 60’s achieved with the technology they had at hand.
GAIA:is an ESA star mapping mission with an extremely high resolution CCD.SpaceWire is being used to transfer images from the CCD to the onboard mass memory. SpaceWire was an enabling technology for this mission, with 16 SpaceWire links being used to transfer the data.
GAIA service unit
Bepi Colombo is the joint ESA/JAXA mission to Mercury.SpaceWire is being used for almost all the onboard data handling in both ESA and JAXA spacecraft
James Webb Space Telescope is the big brother of the Hubble Space Telescope. Hubble had a 2.5 m diameter mirror. JWST has a 6.5 m diameter mirror!JWST is a NASA mission with some ESA instruments.SpaceWire used for all the onboard data handling except for one star-tracker.
JWST NIR Camera
The purpose of ASTRO-H is to explore the structure and evolution of Universe with the following observational capabilities:One of the first imaging and spectroscopic observations with the hard X-ray telescope.The first spectroscopic observations with an extremely high energy resolution of the micro-calorimeter.The most sensitive wideband observation over an energy range from 0.3 to 600 keV.Launch 2014 "Illustration: Akihiro Ikeshita / JAXA".
The Sentinel-3 mission's main objective is to measure sea-surface topography, sea- and land-surface temperature and ocean- and land-surface colour with high-end accuracy and reliability in support of ocean forecasting systems, and for environmental and climate monitoring.The first Sentinel-3 satellite is expected to launch in 2013, followed by the second to provide the required level of coverage for GMES services
STAR-Dundee is a spin-out company from the Univesity of Dundee, set up to support users of SpaceWire with an extensive range of SpaceWire evaluation, development and test equipment.SpaceWire related IP is also available.
STAR-Dundee’s team has evolved over the past seven years, starting with a few people working part time, to 17 people now, 14 full-time equivalent staff. There are 7 PhDs and other highly skilled people covering a mix of technical skills. Sales and support are highly technical, but we now have one person responsible for sales, one responsible for the Chinese market, and an Administrator.