Objectives of the Product

The future scientific missions require instruments with very high data processing and storage capability. On top of that, development times are being reduced and, therefore, uncertainty for phases B2/C/D has to be minimised via standardisation and by increasing TRL before electronics kick off. Solutions based on industry standards allow reducing developing times while keeping the costs low by maximising the reuse.

NICE is the Airbus Crisa answer to these demands from the industry. NICE is a modular concept fully aligned with the state-of-the-art ADHA standard (Advance Data Handling Architecture) currently promoted by the European space industry. It provides the flexibility demanded by the payload applications while keeping the NRE cost under control by reusing core modules in several missions.

The NICE project develops the core items of the concept, by integrating existing ADHA modules already developed by Airbus Crisa (Processor module and I/O module) with brand new modules (Power and Backplane) in a fully standard 6 slots ADHA rack, which is submitted to full qualification campaign. The TRL achieved for NICE concept is TRL7.

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Customers and their Needs

The key customers segments targeted by the NICE product, the related problems and needs are summarised as follows:

• Satellite/Instrument manufacturer:
  • New instruments need electronics with sufficient capacity to process on-board the higher amount of data provided by the sensors. NICE provides processing capacity increased in a factor of 25.
  • Increased storage capability to manage very-high volumes of data. NICE provides 2Tbit mass memory which is 16 000 times higher than previous product.
  • High data volume requires increased data rates in communication links. NICE provides internal SpFi links increasing data rates by a factor of 60. External Optical Links with aggregated net data throughput of 10Gbps are also provided.
  • Need to redesign common building blocks from similar applications and potential requalification is needed, with a cost increase. NICE is based on the ADHA concept, allowing a fast integration of existing modules provided by third-party suppliers. This approach allows cost improvement and decrease of development uncertainties and risks
• Units’ integrators: Need of redesigning already existing building-blocks with impacts in cost and schedule. In some scenarios geo-return rules are difficult to meet. Standardisation based on the ADHA concept, allowing a fast integration of existing modules already qualified providing improved time to market.

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Targeted customer/users countries

The NICE product targets mainly European users (satellite and instrument primes, as well as unit’s integrators).

Using the ADHA standard also opens the possibility of exporting to non-European customers, either at the unit or module level.

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Product description

The NICE electrical architecture is a cold-redundant one supplied by independent power busses powering independent electrical chains and managed by independent TM/TC/Science Interfaces. It could include specific modules that are instrument dependent. The redundancy is implemented in two independent units with no cross-strapping.

Each NICE section is composed of two groups of functions/modules:

• A set of core modules which implements basic functions common to all ICUs.
• A set of specific modules which implements instruments specific functions not covered by core modules.

The modules are connected via a backplane and enclosed in a standard ADHA rack.

The NICE core is composed by the following modules:

• Payload Controller Module (PCM): This is the ADHA rack System Controller of NICE. It implements most of the functions and interfaces required for the Data Handling function.
• Standard Interface Module (STDIM). It implements functions of standard discrete input/output interfaces (relay commands/status, acquisition chains for thermal sensors and voltage telemetries).
• Power Module (PM): it implements the interface with the spacecraft power bus as well as the discrete command and monitoring interfaces with the platform.
• Thermal Control Module (TCM): it implements functions for thermal control support, which provides supply to the heaters in charge of the instrument’s thermal control.

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Added Value

There are several areas of innovation which differentiate NICE from the existing products in the market:

• Increased processing capacity: NICE is based on quad-core processor GR740, which leads to the increasing of the processing capacity by factor higher than 25
• Increased storage capacity: NICE will implement a mass memory bank of 2 Tbits able to store several instances of BSW/ASW plus Scientific/mission data, being 32.000 times higher than previous product.
• Higher data management capability via multiple internal high-speed serial links based on SpFi over copper, which increases the rate by a factor of 60. External Optical Links with data throughput target of 10Gpbs
• Standard modularity: standardisation based on the state-of-the-art ADHA concept, which allows the fast integration of existing modules provided by third-party suppliers, or to deliver Airbus Crisa modules to units’ integrators.
• Flexibility: The use of re-programmable FPGAs will provide flexibility to primes, allowing closer and shorter firmware update cycles after coupling tests between the electronics and the instruments.
• Equivalent performances in terms of mass and power consumption, but with increased capability in processing power, storage capacity and communication data throughput

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Current Status

The NICE kick-off was held in mid-January 2024. The Preparation of Requirement Review (starting mid-June 2024) is in progress. Documents delivered to ESA include technical, PA and management documentation. MPRs are held with ESA on a monthly basis. The next short-term activities include the kick-off of Unit Tester activities with the supplier and preliminary identification of LLIs to start procurement activities.