document title / titre du document TRP W ORK PLAN ... - emits - ESA

TRP Work Plan 2005-2007
Description of Activities
TEC-SB/7935/dc
12/Feb/09
3.8 - Payload Data Handling
TRP Reference:
T310-02ES
Title: COTS based space borne computer 1
The use of COTS components for the design of on-board computers is not new but has always been considered in a
case-by-case basis when appropriate. Convergence between several industrial domains: aircraft, automotive and space have
demonstrated that COTS-based solutions used in these domains can be applied also to space. Evolution of the system design
techniques is also rendering possible the use of robustness by design techniques better than intrinsic robustness by radiation
hardening. It is then proposed to study COTS based solution for on-board computers in the domain of high reliability oriented
systems and safety & availability oriented systems. The objective of this activity is to propose solutions towards space borne
COTS based computers and to assess their efficiency and usability for real space missions. At the software level there are
considerations about the reintegration of a failed unit. It is difficult point since modern powerful processors contain on-chip
caches. Reloading of these caches is not possible, and thus the software in the triple units has to be aware that a
resynchronisation is taking place and thus needs to flush the data and instruction caches of the non-failed units. Continuation
of this activity is foreseen in GSTP.
Deliverables:
Breadboard
Current TRL: TRL2 Target TRL: TRL3 Application Need/Date: TRL5 by 2010
Application/Mission: Robotics, Exploration Missions Contract Duration: 12 months
SW Clause : - Dossier0 Ref.: T-7800
Consistency with Harmonisation
Roadmap and Conclusions:
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