SuperComputers for Space Applications
Abstract
Upcoming new science and Earth observation projects, like GAIA, make the need for high-power computing systems more and more evident in the space community. Commercial technologies, like PowerPC processors, have very promising properties apart from their computing performance. Tests performed by various space agencies (ESA & CNES) to verify the SEU tolerance of new microelectronic technologies show that a possible convergence between space and ground technologies will be necessary for supercomputers to be used in space. Fault-tolerant supercomputers could be used to complement the European radiation-hardened LEON processor line. These systems would allow for high-power processing to occur onboard the spacecraft as a first step. Then, once the validity of the technology has been demonstrated, it is likely to generate a revolution in space systems. This paper presents the ALCATEL SPACE (ASP) vision of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) computers in space systems. The paper discusses the experience ASP has acquired with COTS processors that incorporate fault tolerant techniques beginning with the Skybridge Project, and how that experience has been reworked for the GAIA project. The paper also provides an overview of next-generation space systems and how they will be affected by COTS products.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 13, 2005
- Accession Number
- ADA445458
Entities
People
- G. Estaves
- G. Vissio
- P. Leconte
- X. Leyre