Plug-and-play design approach to smart harness for modular small satellites

• Published in: Acta astronautica 2014-02, Vol.94 (2), p.754-764
• Main Authors: Mughal, M. Rizwan, Ali, Anwar, Reyneri, Leonardo M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Harness; I2C; Module; Plug and play; SPI; Tile
• ISSN: 0094-5765; 1879-2030
• DOI: 10.1016/j.actaastro.2013.09.015

A typical satellite involves many different components that vary in bandwidth demand. Sensors that require a very low data rate may reside on a simple two- or three-wire interface such as I2C, SPI, etc. Complex sensors that require high data rate and bandwidth may reside on an optical interface. The AraMiS architecture is an enhanced capability architecture with different satellite configurations. Although keeping the low-cost and COTS approach of CubeSats, it extends the modularity concept as it also targets different satellite shapes and sizes. But modularity moves beyond the mechanical structure: the tiles also have thermo-mechanical, harness and signal-processing functionalities. Further modularizing the system, every tile can also host a variable number of small sensors, actuators or payloads, connected using a plug-and-play approach. Every subsystem is housed in a small daughter board and is supplied, by the main tile, with power and data distribution functions, power and data harness, mechanical support and is attached and interconnected with space-grade spring-loaded connectors. The tile software is also modular and allows a quick adaptation to specific subsystems. The basic software for the CPU is properly hardened to guarantee high level of radiation tolerance at very low cost. •Modular design approach for small satellites has been developed using a smart harness technique.•All the necessary subsystems of the spacecraft have been built using pluggable modules.•Physical, logical and satellite on-demand configurations have been presented.•An innovative approach to model different serial communication protocols for the subsystem modules has been implemented.•The software hardening technique has been used for radiation hardening of software programs.