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Objectives
The ability to perform radio functions in the software domain enables cheaper, more reliable and highly flexible systems to be developed. This is important in the space segment, where the expected life of the equipment is long and the ability to configure and upgrade the radio to implement additional features and requirements after deployment is highly desirable. The more of the design that can be made “soft”, the greater the ability to re-use technology and capitalise on previous investment.
Using ITAR free, Mil-Aero, industrial grade, or other unrestricted components COM DEV International Systems aims to develop RADE ( Reconfigurable Applications Demonstration Equipment) a COTS based, on-orbit reconfigurable platform.
RADE aims to develop a reconfigurable hardware platform that can be qualified and reused in the development of a variety of different applications.
The platform’s functionality and performance will be evaluated under this programme using a typical application of an AIS receiver. COM DEV International Systems will use this application to demonstrate the ability of the platform to be reconfigured and change modes of operation.
Challenges
Reliability issues at early stages dramatically slow development programmes having a negative impact to the performance of the application under development leading to costs and schedule overrun.
Producing payloads based on “reusable” design concepts reduces this risk. Being a reconfigurable hardware platform that can be qualified and reused in the development of a whole host of different applications, RADE represents a major development in this direction.
Component selection is a major issue since the system needs to be inexpensive but also needs to be able to meet the stringent requirements of a space mission.
Plan
The overall project will be executed in four phases which may operate concurrently:
Phase 1: Refinement of the architecture, mechanics, circuit design and EEE selection and procurement.
Phase 2: Manufacturing and assembly, with the major constituents being assembled and tested before integration into the unit as a whole.
Phase 3: Software development of the FPGA application and the target microcontroller.
Phase 4: Testing where the application system will be reconfigured and the top-level system tested demonstrating the satellite AIS application.
Current Status
The Baseline Design Review (BDR) has been successfully held in March 2014. During the baseline design, the product requirements were identified resulting in the definition of the system architecture, dissemination of the sub-system requirements and identification of the critical components.
Companies
Comdev
Canada