RCS: Onboard computer for spacecraft

Main articles:

• Processor
• CPU
• Routers (global market)

2022: Presentation of the on-board computer for spacecraft

On January 20, 2022, the Russian Space Systems company (RKS, part of the Roscosmos State Corporation) announced that it was completing the development of a promising on-board computer for spacecraft. The distinctive features of the product are increased radiation and failure resistance, as well as the possibility of reconfiguration in case of failure of one of the system elements. This will significantly increase the reliability of spacecraft, as well as reduce their size and mass.

The core of the on-board computer is a processor whose high-tech device can create a network architecture that allows you to optimally distribute the load on all computing resources. The router SpaceWire the development of the Research Institute of Electronic Technology, which is part of the Element group of companies, a joint venture of the Roselectronika holding of Rostec and Sistema AFK in the field of microelectronics, is responsible for transmitting data in it.

"An on-board computer is being created in a wide cooperation of enterprises of the Russian electronic industry that have demonstrated their fairly high competencies. The active participation of colleagues made it possible to make a domestic product that meets the high requirements of the space industry in a short time. This project demonstrated the effectiveness of joint work of public and private companies to ensure the technological sovereignty of Russia in the high-tech field, "- says general designer for on-board equipment Gennady Erokhin, deputy general director of the RKS.

The RKS on-board computer includes a fail-resistant processor created from radiation-resistant electronic components, the performance of which, according to the company, is twice as high as those used in space technology in mid-January 2022. The router based on the SpaceWire network received hardware to monitor the status of each of the channels and the ability to configure the network in real time. All necessary information exchange interfaces are provided, as well as a large amount of high-speed RAM and non-volatile memory (based on the NAND FLASH controller) with support for self-monitoring and self-correcting Hemming code.

"Even modern on-board spacecraft computers are used exclusively for the implementation of initially laid-down narrow algorithms and most often do not provide interchangeability with other computers on board. This leads to excessive duplication of functionality by subsystems and, therefore, a decrease in the overall reliability of the product, an increase in weight and size parameters, increased energy consumption and cost. In terrestrial systems, this problem is solved by creating networks with reconfigurable computing tools, when when one of the computers fails, tasks are redistributed to other network participants. This principle is well established in the on-board systems of the aviation industry. The on-board computer will use a similar network architecture for space technology, "- notes the deputy general designer of the RKS for software and mathematics Nikolai Ryabogin.

The computer is being developed for use in both modernized and promising spacecraft. In the future, a unified service platform will be created on its basis with a network architecture of construction, which ensures the minimization of on-board computing resources and a fairly high survivability of products.