BOHEMIA, N.Y. – Space electronics designers at OHB Italia SpA in Milan, Italy, needed radiation-hardenedembedded computing to support instruments aboard the European Space Agency (ESA) Euclid visible to near-infrared space telescope. They found their solution from Data Device Corp. (DDC) in Bohemia, N.Y.
Officials of OHB Italia will deploy the DDC SCS750 single-board computers for space for the ESA Euclid satellite, which is scheduled for launch in 2021. They chose the DDC SCS 750 for its high reliability design, high-performance processing capability and TRL-9 space proven experience.
"DDC's SCS750 space computers were selected for their high performance, triple-redundant high reliability, and space-proven computing capabilities, combined with DDC's demonstrated commitment to providing the highest levels of quality and dependability, with zero failures in space," says Elio Mangraviti, OHB's head of electronic units and scientific payloads.
OHB is developing the main electronic units of the two instruments of the Euclid satellite: the visible imager (VIS) and near infrared spectrometer and photometer (NISP). The DDC SCS750 space computers will be used on the NISP and VIS. The ESA Euclid spacecraft includes a near-infrared space telescope designed to map the dark universe.
The VIS images in the visible spectrum to derive dark matter content and properties by studying the tiny deformation of galaxy shapes due to weak gravitational lensing. Its focal plane array is made of 36 large area, back-illuminated, red-enhanced charge-coupled device (CCD) detectors.
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The NISP operates between 900 and 2000 nanometers, and provides near-infrared photometry of all galaxies observed, along with VIS and near infrared low resolution spectra and redshifts of millions of galaxies.
The SCS750 is part of the Euclid satellite's control and data processing unit (CDPU), which controls the instruments, switches between the different instrument modes, and sequences the operations within each exposure.
The processor executes the real-time lossless compression of data from the 36 CCDs, including their buffering and packetization. An overall daily production of about 120 gigabytes is expected.
OHB is working under a contract with the Italian Space Agency (ASI5) with the scientific contribution of INAF OABO1 (Bologna Astronomical Observatory), INFN2 (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare) and IAPS3 (Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali) for the ESA4 EUCLID mission.
The Euclid mission seeks to understand dark energy and dark matter by measuring the acceleration of the universe. To achieve this, the Korsch-type telescope will measure the shapes of galaxies at varying distances from Earth and investigate the relationship between distance and redshift. Dark energy contributes to the increased acceleration of the expanding universe.
DDC's SCS750 single-board computers use silicon-on-insulator PowerPC processors and radiation-hardened parts, including DDC's RAD-PAK memories, with triple-redundant processing algorithms that provide error detection and correction.
These boards have single-event-upset (SEE) performance of less than one error in 80 years. They can resist 100 kilorads of total-dose space radiation, and are immune to single-event latchup (SEL).
For more information contact DDC online at www.ddc-web.com, or OHB Italia at www.cgspace.it.
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