Our Approach
The SPiN OBSW has its roots in the software we developed for the German Aerospace Center (DLR). Our original OBSW was specially designed for the Mobile Asteroid Surface SCouT (MASCOT), a lander that was launched with the Hayabusa2 (JAXA) sample return mission to the near-Earth asteroid, 162173 Ryugu.
Our OBSW is highly complex and advanced. It comprises of logical subsystems, which comprise software packages for specific hardware and usage. Some packages are used as Application Software for general operation and initialisation of the Onboard Computer. The other packages are deployed when the satellite is forced to go into Safe Mode.
Since SPiN’s industry focus is the CubeSat, our primary task was to strip down the MASCOT OBSW to be used on a smaller scale and upgrade the Operating System (OS). We reconfigured the OS to the current standards that are used by the players in the small-sat and CubeSat markets.
Due to the modular nature of the original OBSW, we were able to retain the core functionalities (such as the Boot Software) and remove aspects that are irrelevant to a CubeSat. The changes we made were primarily to the Application Software. Some of the packages retained include mass memory storage and mode transition. We removed all of the hardware-specific software (such as for power systems), which is usually necessary for a larger satellite. Some of the packages such as those for communications were generic enough to be modified for a CubeSat.
The SPiN OBSW was developed with the aim of being modifiable, which meant that the other packages used in Plug-and-Play had to be re-written from configuration files, rather than hardware specifics.
One of our key challenges was working with limited resources. Since SPiN is a start-up, certain important systems, such as the testing facilities, were extremely limited and we had to test the software for components, radio and satellite communications for example, in somewhat untraditional ways.
Another challenge was meeting SPiN’s requirements as they evolved. Since they were in the process of developing the drivers for the MA61C, we also had to be flexible and make sure that the OBSW was compatible with every new update. Due to the modular design of the OBSW, we were able to make the changes quickly and match SPiN’s timeline for development.
