SpaceFibre network and routing switch

SpaceFibre is the next generation of the widely used SpaceWire technology for spacecraft on-board data-handling applications. SpaceFibre provides much higher performance, has integrated quality of service and fault detection, isolation and recovery capabilities. It runs over electrical or fibre optic media and is able to operate over distances of up to 5 m over electrical cables and 100 m over fibre optic cables. The SpaceFibre network layer uses the same packet format and routing concepts as SpaceWire, enhancing them with the concept of independent, parallel virtual networks, each of which operates like an independent SpaceWire network running over a single physical network. An essential component in a SpaceFibre network is the routing switch. STAR-Dundee has designed, built and tested a SpaceFibre routing switch in a commercial FPGA, using it to support the testing and validation of the network layer concepts developed for SpaceFibre. The architecture of the SUNRISE router is described and current work transferring this design to radiation tolerant technology is outlined.