Experiences Designing a System-on-a-Chip for Small Satellite Data Processing and Control

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Hans Tiggeler, Tanya Vladimirova, Daixun Zheng, Jiri Gaisler

The continuous evolution of communication satellite platforms demands the use of modern approaches to system design. A system-on-a-chip realising the main functions of an on-board computer is an important step towards further minituarisation of small satellites. This paper describes a single-chip implementation of a simplified version of a Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) on-board computer. The specification of the system and a prototype based on a XILINX Virtex FPGA are discussed. Synthesis results of the microprocessor and peripheral IP cores are reported.