Design of a Fault Tolerant On Board Computer for CubeSat
The project includes the design and development of a prototype On-board Computer (OBC) module for a CubeSat. The operations in a satellite such as CubeSat are autonomous and depend upon the exchange of information between different interconnected subsystems. The OBC designed around a microcontroller
2025-06-28 16:31:56 - Adil Khan
Design of a Fault Tolerant On Board Computer for CubeSat
Project Area of Specialization Electrical/Electronic EngineeringProject SummaryThe project includes the design and development of a prototype On-board Computer (OBC) module for a CubeSat. The operations in a satellite such as CubeSat are autonomous and depend upon the exchange of information between different interconnected subsystems. The OBC designed around a microcontroller and other memories and interfaces helps achieving this task. It performs the required computations, telemetry and health checks and hence act as a satellite’s brain.
Due to the harsh environment and radiation in space, the operation of electronics in satellites such as on OBC is greatly affected. The OBC performs different computations and stores different kinds of data and programs in its memory units. Therefore any damage to the OBC itself or to the stored data can cause the failure in the proper functioning of the satellite. The most common effects are the Single Event Effects (SEEs) which are caused by the highly energized particles in the space striking the satellite’s body. These include the SEUs (Single Event Upsets) causing bit flips in the stored data in memories and the SEL (Single Event Latch Up) causing the excessive current flow through the affected device damaging it permanently. Therefore some mechanism should be developed to counter these effects of space environment in order to increase the reliability of the overall system which is the most important constraint in designing space systems.
Therefore the goal of the project is to make a fault tolerant hardware design of the OBC. This is achieved by implementing the mechanisms for latch up prevention and Error Detection and Correction (EDAC) scheme for counteracting the SEUs. Further the project also includes the development of a test bench for the verification of the systems designed in the OBC to induce fault tolerance and increase system reliability.
The board will be designed keeping in view the CubeSat standards and specifications required in the small satellite development project of Institute of Space Technology.
Project Objectives- To design a prototype hardware of an On Board Computer for CubeSat.
- To implement fault tolerance through latch up prevention and EDAC schemes.
- To design a test bench for testing the proper functioning of the systems implemented on the On Board Computer.
- Selection of suitable microcontroller for the OBC.
- Design of OBC Architecture.
- Implementation of EDAC on FPGA.
- Microcontroller programming.
- Hardware implementation of Architecture on PCB.
- Test bench development for verification of the designed OBC.
The major advantage of the CubeSat technology is its affordability and a much simpler design process for access to space as compared to conventional satellites. CubeSats have become popular worldwide due to the advantages they provide at a much lower cost in the fields of disaster management, earth observation, communication, etc. For a country like Pakistan which is one of the most susceptible countries to climate change, the desired goals to counter climate change can be achieved by use of CubeSats to monitor the glacier melting, deforestation, flooding, etc. Moreover being an agriculture based economy, Pakistan can greatly improve its crops’ yield through the use of CubeSat satellites in monitoring the crops and soil characteristics and ultimately contributing towards the country’s economy and uplifting the living standard of people.
Therefore the design and development process of different CubeSat subsystems such as this On-board Computer (OBC) can help in increasing the satellite developing capabilities of the students and institutes involved in development of such projects. This will ultimately result in the development of indigenous CubeSats for Pakistan.
Technical Details of Final DeliverableFinal deliverable would be a developed PCB hardware prototype of an On Board Computer along with its test bench implemented on a Computer. The board will provide the capability of latch up prevention in SRAMs and single error correction to counter SEUs through the EDAC scheme implemented. The board will provide all the required interfaces for the controlling and handling of data and commands for different CubeSat subsystem modules.
Final Deliverable of the Project HW/SW integrated systemCore Industry OthersOther IndustriesCore Technology OthersOther TechnologiesSustainable Development Goals Sustainable Cities and Communities, Climate Action, Life on Land, Partnerships to achieve the GoalRequired Resources| Item Name | Type | No. of Units | Per Unit Cost (in Rs) | Total (in Rs) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total in (Rs) | 79013 | |||
| EFM32GG280F1024G-E-QFP100R (IC MCU 32BIT 1MB FLASH 100LQFP) | Equipment | 4 | 1110 | 4440 |
| AT28C256-15SU (IC EEPROM 256K PARALLEL 28SOIC) | Equipment | 2 | 1410 | 2820 |
| STWD100NYWY3F (IC SUPERVISOR 1 CHANNEL SOT23-5) | Equipment | 4 | 130 | 520 |
| NX5032GA-32.000000MHZ-LN-CD-1 (CRYSTAL 32.0000MHZ 8PF SMD) | Equipment | 4 | 100 | 400 |
| ABS10-32.768KHZ-1-T (CRYSTAL 32.7680KHZ 12.5PF SMD) | Equipment | 4 | 155 | 620 |
| TPS76733QD (IC REG LINEAR 3.3V 1A 8SOIC) | Equipment | 3 | 565 | 1695 |
| INA139NA/3K (IC CURRENT MONITOR 0.5% SOT23-5) | Equipment | 8 | 241 | 1928 |
| SN74LVCH16373ADGGR (IC TRANSP LATCH TRI-ST 48-TSSOP) | Equipment | 4 | 185 | 740 |
| SN74CBT16245CDGGR (IC SWITCH BUS 16BIT FET 48-TSSOP) | Equipment | 7 | 240 | 1680 |
| 5025700893 (CONN MICRO SD CARD PUSH-PUSH R/A) | Equipment | 1 | 615 | 615 |
| FPF2123 (IC PWR SWITCH P-CHAN 1:1 SOT23-5) | Equipment | 5 | 90 | 450 |
| ESQ-126-39-G-D (CONN SOCKET 52POS 0.1 GOLD PCB) | Equipment | 2 | 1800 | 3600 |
| M20-7910342R (CONN RCPT 3POS 0.1 GOLD SMD R/A) | Equipment | 3 | 120 | 360 |
| M22-6540642R (CONN RCPT 6P 0.079 GOLD SMD R/A) | Equipment | 3 | 170 | 510 |
| ADA4851-4YRUZ-RL7 (IC OPAMP VFB 4 CIRCUIT 14TSSOP) | Equipment | 3 | 510 | 1530 |
| TLV75712PDBVR (IC REG LINEAR 1.2V 1A SOT23-5) | Equipment | 3 | 125 | 375 |
| TLV75725PDBVR (IC REG 2.5V LINEAR 1A) | Equipment | 3 | 120 | 360 |
| S29AL008J70TFI020 (IC FLASH 8M PARALLEL 48TSOP) | Equipment | 3 | 255 | 765 |
| CY62136EV30LL-45ZSXI (IC SRAM 2M PARALLEL 44TSOP II) | Equipment | 4 | 580 | 2320 |
| ASE-48.000MHZ-LC-T (XTAL OSC XO 48.0000MHZ CMOS SMD) | Equipment | 1 | 185 | 185 |
| Spartan-3E Xilinx FPGA XC3S500E Development Board | Equipment | 1 | 9300 | 9300 |
| Xilinx Spartan-3E IC (XC3S500E) | Equipment | 2 | 4900 | 9800 |
| PCB Fabrication | Equipment | 3 | 8000 | 24000 |
| PCB Assembly | Miscellaneous | 1 | 5000 | 5000 |
| Printing and stationary costs | Miscellaneous | 1 | 5000 | 5000 |