SpaceWire: a satellite on‐board data‐handling network Available to Purchase

SpaceWire is a network designed for handling payload data and control information on‐board a spacecraft. It provides a unified, high‐speed, data‐handling infrastructure for connecting together sensors (e.g. optical or radar instruments), processing elements (e.g. digital signal processors), mass‐memory units, downlink telemetry sub‐systems and ground support equipment (GSE). SpaceWire is intended to meet the needs of future, high‐capability space missions. It supports equipment compatibility and re‐use at both the component and sub‐system levels. This paper first considers the key factors that drove the specification of SpaceWire, explaining the particular demands imposed by the space environment. The components of a SpaceWire network are then introduced. The key features of SpaceWire are summarised and the support that SpaceWire provides for fault tolerance is described. Finally a summary is given of the current status of the SpaceWire standard and its application in space missions.