In-system partial run-time reconfiguration for fault recovery applications on spacecrafts

This paper presents a methodology for partially reconfiguring a field programmable gate array (FPGA) device using only limited onboard resources. This paper also seeks to provide a roadmap to developing necessary tools and technologies to help design self-sufficient partial run-time reconfigurable systems for spacecraft avionic systems. To provide a vision for the technology, this paper recommends a few possible applications in spacecraft avionic systems, in fault tolerance and space-saving hardware. In addition, some previous work done on the research for reconfigurable, modular avionics are also presented at the end as an example of applications.