SmallSat payload Control and Data Processing unit

We have started the development of a new payload Control & Data Processing Unit (CDPU) targeted towards SmallSats. The CDPU will act as a hub for (optical) instruments that forms a logical bridge between the instruments and the SmallSat platform. It will offer standardized hardware interfaces for integrated optical instruments, as well as sophisticated facilities for processing the science data before it is sent down to earth. We defined a modular architecture to allow flexibility in interfaces and functions, with advanced and reliable in-orbit FPGA reprogrammability. The component quality class and applied development processes are chosen such to target for an in-orbit design lifetime in the order of 5 to 10 years.