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Developing New Generation Avionic Systems for ESA

Developing and testing a critical phase of the New Generation Launcher and Space Transportation Advanced Avionics Test Bed (NGT-ATB) for the European Space Agency (ESA).

Customer's Challenge

The requirement was to develop the NGT-ATB infrastructure system to be used in ESA missions during the preparation phase.

Background

Image courtesy ESA

Following a series of successive studies and projects, ESA is developing the NGT-ATB, a complete avionics system that meets modern and demanding avionics verification and validation needs and supports a full range of verification and validation of the specification, design, implementation, and operations of future space avionics transportation systems.

The main goal of the NGT-ATB activity is to improve the existing ATB infrastructure to support more use cases and mission scenarios. This involves expanding its features to work with the ESA Next Generation Microprocessor (NGMP) quad-core LEON4, improving existing emulator systems, and developing new configuration tools.

The NGT-ATB integrates elements from three avionics disciplines, Data Systems, Guidance Navigation and Control (GNC), and On-Board Software (OBSW), together with the components of a system simulation facility, to form a harmonized set of Avionics Test Bed configurations for simulation and verification purposes.

Our Approach

Telespazio’s Simulator team was involved in the development workflow of the NGT-ATB. Using the Functional Engineering Simulator (FES) as the existing input, we were able to develop a demonstration of the NGT-ATB for an Active Debris Removal mission, realized with a debris Chaser spacecraft. As part of the standard workflow, we developed further and implemented successive FES models, the OBSW of the SVF-SIL (software in the loop facility) and SVF-PIL (processor in the loop facility). This was then integrated into the AIV (Assembly Integration and Validation Facility).

Our Solutions

Telespazio Germany created a reference implementation of a space avionics test bench that can be re-used in several ESA projects. Our work progressed the development of the ATB from the proof-of-concept to having full-scale models that can be used for demonstration in the relevant environment. This corresponds to ESA Technological Readiness Levels (TRL) 3 to TRL 6.

We successfully demonstrated different ADR scenarios that closely matched the FES results. Our tests showed that the Chaser spacecraft was able to successfully navigate to the target (debris) object over the test duration. The pictures show the Chaser’s trajectory on a system with the SVF-PIL multicore configuration. They also depict the trajectory for the Chaser on the EuroSim (a simulation environment where the models were generated, and the simulations were run).

Our tests were successful in helping ESA proceed to the next critical phase in the development of the ATB system. The adaptability of our software means that it can be used in full for further simulation as well as reused in part or could serve as a platform for future simulator studies.

Why Telespazio

Telespazio has been involved in ESA projects for several decades. Our Simulator team has designed simulations for various ESA missions, such as ExoMars TGO, ExoMars RSP and Sentinel 6, to support all mission phases - from initial preparation, the System Validation Tests (STVts), the simulation campaign to the routine operations after LEOP and commissioning.

Our Solution

DIDIT