Performance of European processors for space applications have been increasing over the years, from the ERC32 (25MHz, current missions) to the single-core Leon2/3 (100MHz, upcoming missions) to the next generation processor (multicore, Leon4, future missions). Simulators are needed throughout the software, spacecraft and operations development. Simulator performance needs to keep the pace with the processors. Instruction set simulators for the ERC32 could keep up with real-time simulation of the overall spacecraft.

The Sensor on a chip activity has shown the feasibility of a 75g, 0.2 watt, 30 arcsecond accuracy fully autonomous star tracker with all functionality implemented on a single chip. Several key unknowns however still exist and can only be verified by test.These include: Optical quality achievable, on chip NVM behavious, radiation behaviour of key functions, noise cross talk and power management. Phase 0 of this predevelopment shall concentrate on demonstrating the optical elements including bonding to the silicon substrate and environmental testing.

The test was performed down to a temperature of 120K.

RAMS and risk assessments performed in the course of the system design, verification and operation of space systems rely on the availability of realistic input data. This input data is coming mainly from three different sources:
- MIL-HDBK-217F, Notice 2 for EEE components
- manufacturer supplied information (e.g. pyrovalves, reaction wheels)
- expert judgement based on experience and on the adaptation of data from space and non-space applications.

An ESA study is starting considering the system aspects of the use of the multi-core for our applications, and this study will define the final technical solutions. However, the trend seems to be towards the use of a hypervisor. If this is confirmed, there could be a convergence between the various hypervisors used for partitioning, for security and for multi-core. An environment for hypervisor could therefore be reused, which is the focus of the the proposed activity.

In the context of satellite remote sensing, “hyper-spectral” is a generic term that means that “many channels” are observed. For InfraRed (IR) instruments, this term is associated with thousands channels, but for the MicroWave (MW) domain, an instrument with hundred of channels is already considered to be hyper-spectral. There are two main alternative concepts in using hyper-spectral information in MW:

A shock attenuation device improving the filtering efficiency of the current shock attenuator devices has been developed keeping the load capability domain, the stiffness linearity and r

The Integrated Modular Avionics for Space (IMA-SP) concept introduces the role of System Architect to the spacecraft avionics domain. The System Architect has the key responsibility for negotiating the avionics resource allocation with the hosted application suppliers and then performing a system-level verification to ensure that the configured system is capable to host the applications and meet the system requirements. The allocation of the platform resources is an iterative process between the Architect and the application suppliers.

The approach of the ‘Interplanetary Meteoroid Environment for eXploration’ (IMEX) project is to build a model of meteoroid streams throughout the inner solar system. Our motivation for this model is the impact hazard to spacecraft. An understanding of the interplanetary environment, including the dust environment, is crucial for the planning of spacecraft missions in the inner solar system. Particles striking a spacecraft with high velocities can cause damage leading to the impairment or even failure of the spacecraft or its subsystems.

The simulations of the long term evolution of the space debris population, under realistic assumptions, show how the driving factor in the future environment will be mostly the breakup of large spacecraft and rocket bodies in LEO.