A Combined Data and Power Management Infrastructure for Small Satellites

The Combined Data and Power Management Infrastructure (CDPI) described in this book is a functional merging of a satellite Onboard Computer and a Power Control Unit.TheoriginalconceptwasdevelopedintheframeoftheSmallSatellitesProgram at the University of Stuttgart, Germany. In 2009, the need became evident for a suitable Onboard Computer (OBC) design for the University of Stuttgart’s small satellite “Flying Laptop”. It had to meet the stringent performance, mass, volume, and power consumption constraints imposed by the 120 kg satellite, with its full-featured ACS, diverse payloads, and complete CCSDStelecommandandtelemetrystandardcompliance. Consumerelectronic components for the onboard computer were out of the scope of this project considering the need for robustness against the space environment. Classic space industry OBC devices were not appropriate with regard to geometry and mass nor cost considerations. As a solution, the Editor organized a consortium of partners from the space industry with expert knowledge in diverse fields who could supply the institute with Onboard Computer components. The research solution led to a functional merge of the OBC and the satellite’s Power Control and Distribution Unit (PCDU),resultinginaveryinnovativeandpatenteddesign—theCombinedDataand Power Management Infrastructure (CDPI). The first edition of this book describes the architecture [12]. Afterthesuccessfullaunchofthe“FlyingLaptop”satellite,further design improvements were implemented in the next generation CDPI by the Editor’s intrapreneur team at Airbus Defence and Space to achieve a design that • offers more strict modularity for mission-dependent scalability, • is further industrialized for faster assembly, integration, and testing, • features higher numerical performance, and • and offers additional functionality such as external SpaceWire, Ethernet, and built-in Mass Memory Units.