On-board Processing Unit for Ocean Wave Spectrum Mission based on European technology

Implement the on-board data processing tasks needed for ocean wave spectrum and interferometry used in altimetry missions in an European "Field-Programmable Gate Array" (FPGA) technology.

The "Sea surface Kinematics Multiscale monitoring" (SKIM) concept, interferometry and next generation Sentinel altimeter missions (S3 topo NG) rely on elaborate on-board data processing. During the SKIM phase A/B1 study, a pre-development activity addressing the on-board processing needs has been started, consisting in two parts. In the first part, the algorithms have been developed, implemented and tested in quantified C-code. The missing step, which was not executed as SKIM was not selected, is to implement and test the algorithms in hardware. While the original approach was to baseline non-European "Field-Programmable Gate Array" (FPGA) technology, it is now possible to evaluate the implementation of the processing tasks in European FPGA technology.This activity encompasses the following tasks:- Develop and verify FPGA "Very High Speed Integrated Circuit Hardware Description Language" (VHDL) code- Perform Elegant BreadBoard (EBB) board development, manufacturing and assembly- Perform EBB functional and performances tests at ambient pressure and at hot and cold temperatures