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The processor, the flight software, and the data budget that decides whether your images ever reach the ground

On-Board Computer and Data Handling

System architectures, flight software design, radiation effects on computing, and a fully worked data budget.
Intermediate4 h5 lessons1 simulatorobcflight-softwarertosradiationdata-budget

What you will be able to do

  • Choose between centralized, ring and bus architectures with reasons
  • Derive flight software functional requirements from a mission requirement
  • Compute onboard storage and minimum downlink rate from mission parameters
  • Classify radiation effects and specify the right mitigation for each

Prerequisites

  • introduction-to-space-systems

Syllabus

Module 1

Architecture and requirements

What the OBC does, how it is wired to everything else, and what space demands of it.

Module 2

Data budgets and radiation

The calculation every mission does, and the environment that breaks computers.

Assessment

OBC and data handling check

Graded. The data budget questions use the forest-fire mission from the course.

6 questions, graded once you are signed in.

Source material

KSA Training_ppt_obc.pdf (50 slides), KSA Training 2022.