SYDERAL Polska participated in designing and production of custom on-board electronic equipment for space applications, for customers such as ESA and Thales Alenia Space. Our engineers gathered experience in flight electronics designs for the following satellite payloads and platforms:
FLEX FLORIS ICU
The FLORIS high-resolution imaging spectrometer of the Fluorescence Explorer (FLEX) mission will map vegetation fluorescence to quantify photosynthetic activity. The Instrument Control Unit (ICU) is the main electronic unit between the FLORIS instrument and the FLEX satellite platform.
The FLORIS ICU features include payload data processing, high precision synchronization of video acquisition units, telemetry (TM) data flow management, the instrument control and HouseKeeping (HK) TM/TC, the Calibration Unit (CU) mechanism control, the Thermal Control System (TCS) control, the power distribution to the FLORIS subsystems and communication with the FLEX on-board computer.
Our engineers are responsible for PCB design for the Power Supply and Driver modules, FPGA modules development and verification, development of embedded real-time software for handling the Packet Utilization Standard according to the ECSS.
EUCLID Antenna Deployment and Pointing Mechanism Electronics (ADPME)
The Euclid scientific space probe high gain antenna deployment and pointing mechanism electronics allows for establishing high precision pointing between the spacecraft and the ground stations back on the Earth.
The range of tasks realised by SYDERAL Polska engineers was: FPGA modules development for Microsemi ProASIC®3E and RTAX devices, as well as their functional verification (Modelsim, Riviera-PRO). Additionally, Common Test Framework development used to control the EGSE and test execution (written in Python).
Motor Controller Demonstrator
This Polish Industry Incentive Scheme project concentrated on the design of a module controlling two stepper motors, based on ECSS standards and SpaceWire RMAP communication protocol.
The project encompassed a range of activities including FPGA modules development, PCB design, manufacturing and testing.
Reaction Wheel with Local Speed Control
The aim of this project is to develop and test on hardware a wheel speed control loop embedded at equipment level in order to improve torque stability. Technical requirements are in line with future ARIEL mission needs.
Syderal Polska is subcontractor responsible for: development, production and test of the control electronics (TRL 5), development of the FPGA code required to control the Reaction Wheel and will support Bradford Engineering in tests and integration of the control electronics with reaction wheel.
Image courtesy of: ESA/STFC RAL Space/UCL/Europlanet-Science Office
