Spacefibre: The standard and the multi-lane layer

Stephen (Steve) Parkes, Chris McClements, David McLaren, Albert Ferrer Florit, Alberto Gonzalez Villafranca

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

Abstract

SpaceFibre is a new standard for spacecraft on-board data-handling networks, initially designed to deliver multi-Gbit/s data rates for synthetic aperture radar and high-resolution, multi-spectral imaging instruments, The addition of quality of service (QoS) and fault detection, isolation and recovery (FDIR) capabilities to SpaceFibre has resulted in a unified network technology. SpaceFibre provides high bandwidth, low latency, fault isolation and recovery suitable for space applications, and novel QoS that combines priority, bandwidth reservation and scheduling and which provides babbling node protection. SpaceFibre is backwards compatible with the widely used SpaceWire standard at the network level allowing simple interconnection of existing SpaceWire equipment to a SpaceFibre link or network. Developed by STAR-Dundee and the University of Dundee for the European Space Agency (ESA) SpaceFibre is able to operate over fibre-optic and electrical cable. A single lane of SpaceFibre comprises four signals (TX+/- and RX+/-) and supports data rates of 2 Gbits/s (2.5 Gbits/s data signalling rate) with data rates up to 5 Gbits/s already planned. Several lanes can operate together to provide a multilane link. Multi-laning increases the data-rate to well over 20 Gbits/s. This paper details the current state of SpaceFibre which is now in the process of formal standardisation by the European Cooperation for Space Standardization (ECSS). The multi-lane layer of SpaceFibre is then described.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationProceedings of DASIA 2016
Subtitle of host publicationDAta Systems in Aerospace
EditorsL. Ouwehand
Place of PublicationNetherlands
PublisherEuropean Space Agency
VolumeSP-736
ISBN (Electronic)9789292213015
Publication statusPublished - 1 Aug 2016
EventDAta Systems in Aerospace Conference, DASIA 2016 - Tallinn, Estonia
Duration: 10 May 201612 May 2016

Conference

ConferenceDAta Systems in Aerospace Conference, DASIA 2016
Country/TerritoryEstonia
CityTallinn
Period10/05/1612/05/16

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Aerospace Engineering
  • Space and Planetary Science

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