High reliability processing electronics for cubesat

• Grant number: 19/00983-0
• Support type: Research Grants - Innovative Research in Small Business - PIPE
• Duration: October 01, 2020 - June 30, 2021
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Aerospace Engineering - Aerospace Systems
• Principal researcher: Valter Ricardo Schad
• Grantee: Valter Ricardo Schad
• Company: Horuseye Tech Engenharia de Sistemas Ltda
• CNAE: Fabricação de máquinas e equipamentos de uso geral não especificados anteriormente ; Serviços de engenharia
• City: São José dos Campos
• Assoc. researchers: Jarbas Aryel Nunes da Silveira ; João Baptista dos Santos Martins ; Manuel Bernardo da Silva Neto ; Maury Esper
• Associated scholarship(s): 20/15273-6 - Evaluation of realizations of fault tolerant processing using FPGA and radiation tolerant cells, BP.TT; 20/14645-7 - High reliability processing electronics for cubesat, BP.PIPE

Abstract

The present proposal is a new generation, in terms of the international market, of electronic processing (Command and Data Management) dockable to the standard PC/104 card, used in CUBESAT nanosatellites standard. The availability in the last years of high-performance electronics and sensors in general, at relatively low cost, enabled the development of a new generation of satellites of small size. Most of the systems offered use COTS ("Components Off the Shelf"), without robustness in relation to radiation, to keep costs low and accessible to a large potential scientific and technological market. As the community wants to make the most of the potential of CUBESAT technology, by increasing the duration of the missions and scientific and technological applications of greater complexity and cost, it is necessary that the operational base of the CUBESAT has greater reliability; this has particular implication in the fault tolerance in the mission management and processing system, due to faults associated with or not the radiation. For more details of CUBESAT subsystems, see [1] and [2]. Several manufacturers abroad provide standard CUBESAT processing boards for command and data management, without prioritizing the increased reliability of these boards. Brazil, through several institutions, has been working in the area of CUBESATs: Aeronautical Technological Institute (ITASAT), Federal University of Ceará, Federal University of Santa Maria, led by INPE, through the Programs NANOSATC-BR1 e-BR2.The company CRON, led by the researcher of INPE Otávio Durão, created to be a catalyst for business between applications and integrators of CUBESAT, took the initiative to promote the development of subsystems. A phase I PIPE (Proc. N º 2015/25299-4 completed) defined the specifications of the first subsystems to be developed (structure, power system and attitude control system, to be integrated with a imported Command and Data Management board). Through its continuity by phase II (Proc. N º 2017/09800-0, under development), together with this proposal for the data management and control subsystem, innovative in international terms, the possibility of a complete national system is realized for CUBESATs, in their most critical technologies. It is emphasized that the company of the proponent of this proposal is also adding its expertise in attitude determination and control systems, in the PIPE of Dr. Durão. The modules are already under tests, as illustrated below. The attitude determination and control module has been developed with unique characteristics, relative to redundancy and configuration flexibility for sensors (magnetometers and gyrometers). The processing module, object of this proposal, will be designed in a way of also having redundance capability relative to the attitude determination and control module under development. This proposal is perfectly harmonized with the ongoing developments in CUBESATs in Brazil, in ITA and INPE institutions. In summary: Scenario: 1. Institutes developing CUBESATS in Brazil use non fault-tolerant, non-radiation-robust, Processing Modules; 2. LESC has developed fault-tolerant processing module; 3. SMDH has developed robust ASIC IP cells in radiation robust [5]; 4. The CUBESATs market is booming. Opportunity: Develop fault tolerant and robust radiation processing module using established skills and proven developments. Main business: Market fault tolerant and robust radiation processing modules for the national and international market of CUBESATs. Derivative business: Market modules for other critical professional applications. (AU)