Space plug and play avionics for small satellites

Professor Shinichi Nakasuka of University of Tokyo is now leading a small satellite development activity within the scope of a Japanese FIRST (Funding Program for World-Leading Innovative R&D on Science and Technology) program. In this program several 50-kg class micro-satellites are going to be developed and launched by the end of Japanese fiscal year of 2013, including one scientific micro-satellite under international cooperation. This program as whole shall contribute to enhance the activities of world's small satellite research societies and industries, and to build the basis of new paradigm for the future, where cost-effective and reliable small satellites are widely utilized for both research and business purposes. Tohoku University has been assigned as the project leader of the above mentioned international scientific micro-satellite, named as R1SESAT (Rapid International Scientific Experiment Satellite), and is developing the bus system as well as organizing scientific payload instruments from abroad. R1SESAT employs a payload main computer based on Space Plug and Play Avionics (SPA) technology for controlling all of these scientific instruments. By applying virtual system integration technology, remote integration of satellite components spread all over the world becomes possible without getting together at a certain place. In this way the integration of a variety of payload instruments becomes simple and the effort required can be dramatically reduced. RISESAT project is now at the end of Engineering Model development phase and has experienced first mechanical and electrical integration activity of the Engineering Models of payload instruments. RISESAT is the first example of applying SPA for real-life international scientific missions.