ESTEC Wireless Onboard Spacecraft Workshop 2003

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Overview of Space related Wireless
Activities   Workshop on Spacecraft Data
Systems 5-7 May 2003 ESTEC, Noordwijk
rodger.magness_at_esa.int
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If you do not expect spacecraft data handling,
sensors, onboard systems architectures and the
AIT process to evolve over the next 15 years, you
will not find wireless interesting
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Wireless Data Communications Onboard Spacecraft
Technology and Applications Workshop   Organized
by the European Space Agency (ESA)   14th 16th
April 2003 ESA/ESTEC, Noordwijk, NL

Workshop Chairman patrick.plancke_at_esa.int
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A brief overview of several wireless activities
and potential future applications for spacecraft
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The horizon for deploying these wireless
technologies is mid-term
The time-frame to evaluate and develop this
technology for space is now
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These employing current state-of-the-art
technologies, several commercially derived, such
as infrared, WLAN, narrowband RF, optical, UWB
(W-OFDM), Bluetooth, IEEE802.15.4
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Already flown WLAN networked notebook PCs
MIR, Space Shuttle and ISS Wireless RF sensors,
several types ISS Very near-term to
fly Optical data link on a European nanosat
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Current space developments/investigations
IEEE802.15.4 Miniature Sensors SEA
Micro Strain Gauge and Temp Sensor Invocon
Wireless CAN Automation Artisans
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Current space developments/investigations
W-OFDM for Rover CSA-NASA
Optical TM-TC Astrium
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Current space developments/investigations
Wireless Accelerometer Proto AD Telecom
Bluetooth and WLAN RF testing SEA
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Current space developments/investigations
Fully Steerable Camera IMTsrl
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Current space developments/investigations
The ARTEMIS Case
Bluetooth Sensors Alenia
Case Studies Alenia
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Current space developments/investigations
Notepad assistants CSA
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Current space developments/investigations
WLAN Comms NASA

• Head-mounted
• Display, advanced
• Wearable computer
• GIS, GPS
• Next-generation voice control
• Wireless interface to regional network and
  XANTHE
• Remote command and control

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Current space developments/investigations
OWLS Optical WDM INTA
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Current space developments/investigations New
classes of wireless devices handheld palmtops,
such as the PSA (Personal Satellite Assistant
NASA Ames Research) Rover data acquisition and
control Additional wireless sensors types for
spacecraft, e.g. accelerometer Instruments, e.g.
camera Experimental wireless satellite TM-TC
data handling Astronaut data communications Plan
etary local data communications Formation flying
testbed control/data acquisition PDA for AIT
(Assembly-Integration-Test) ground activities
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Future spacecraft applications Astronaut health
monitoring Spacecraft manipulators, rotating
sections EV Robotics Onboard satellite sensors,
temperature, etc. (traditionally
simple) High-speed intra-satellite subsystem
interconnects Fully realized wireless onboard
satellite TM-TC data handling
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Future spacecraft applications
Wireless for S/C Manipulators
Wireless for S/C Docking
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Future spacecraft applications
Wireless for Space Robotics
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Sometimes confusing
500Mbps WLAN?
GSM
Diffuse Infrared
DECT
IEEE 802.11a
IEEE 802.11/IR
IrDA
Application
Narrowband RF
WLAN
DSSS over PLM
HyperLAN/2
IEEE 802.15
Bluetooth
IEEE 802.16
Custom W-OFDM
Optical
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Application must decide the technology
employed   Technology chosen must fully support
application objectives/constraints   There is no
One Solution to fit all application domains
robotics, sensor bus, planetary surface comms,
onboard TM-TC handling, etc.   Many of these
technologies are quite mature, not all   All have
their unique drawbacks for space
application   Try to employ existing standards as
much as is possible/adapt when not fully suited
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Wireless commercial technologies advancing at a
rapid pace   Must constantly evaluate new
technologies and emerging standards for
applicability for space, for example IEEE
802.15.4 (low-speed, low complexity, extremely
low-power, yet very robust data comms for
lightweight, portable, devices, toys, sensors
supporting very long battery life)   .but a
consistent approach should be adopted when
employing a given technology within a given
application domain  
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How to avoid ad hoc wireless implementations per
project? How to go about insuring that future
devices within an application domain can
communicate with each other?   How to minimize
duplication of effort, generate re-usable
software? How to harmonise with other
initiatives and standards?   These and other
topics shall be objectives of the working group
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• Workshop topics
•  
•          Wireless as a Means of Spacecraft
  Harness Reduction
•          Mobility for Man or Machine
•          Easing the AIT Process
•          Demonstrations

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• The objectives of the workshop
•    Overview on current state-of-the-art limited
  distance wireless data communications, both
  optical and RF technologies, presently available
  in Europe that may be applied to intra-spacecraft
  data handling.
•   Survey of current related activities
  throughout the European space engineering
  community.
•   Identification of needed RD activities to
  further develop wireless technologies for space
  use.
•    Establishment of a Wireless Working Group
  with participation from the space engineering
  community, academia, and technology companies to
  serve as a focal point for further
  investigations/developments regarding these
  technologies, including protocols.
•  
• A panel discussion on the final day of the
  workshop will gather input to summarize the
  results of these objectives.

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• Summary of the workshop
•    3 fundamental technologies covered Optical,
  RF and Power-line Modulation
•   12 implementation technologies surveyed
  Optical (Infrared and other bands), DSSS over
  power-line, WLAN (incl. IEEE 802.11a/b/g),
  Bluetooth, simple non-DSSS/FH CAN over RF,
  IEEE802.11 RF Baseband, Ultra-wide-band (UWB) RF
  employing OFDM, IEEE802.16, IEEE802.15.4, UWB-RF
  employing very-short-pulse phase modulation
•   31 speakers / 35 presentations / 5
  demonstrations
•   71 attendees
•    6 universities / 3 space agencies
  represented
•   16 countries
•   15 space companies large and small
•   7 wireless technology companies, of which 2
  provide wireless IP cores

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• Summary of the workshop continued
•    4 semiconductor companies, 2 of which provide
  wireless IP cores
•   3 research institutes
•   5 other commercial / industrial companies
•   11 current or just completed wireless
  activities presented
•    3 current open ESA/ESTEC wireless IITT or
  ITTs (Directorate TOS)
• 01.1ES.20 Optical/Wireless Data
  Transmission (technology roadmap for onboard
  TM-TC wireless will follow from this ITT)
• 2 others for space PDAs (1 for AIT, 1
  for manned flight)
•   104 constructive participant written comments
  received
•   ESTEC-TOS budget for developing wireless
  beginning 2004 3 MEuros
•   36 new workshop participants joined wireless
  onboard mailing list

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WORKSHOP AGENDA Morning - Monday, 14
April   1000 1230 Room Copernicus Session
Chairperson Patrick Plancke, ESA-ESTEC   1000
Welcome and coffee 1005 Opening remarks, J.
L. Cendral, head TOS-E / ESTEC   1010 Workshop
Logistics, announcements   1020 Workshop
Chairmans opening remarks   1030 Keynote topic
Mobile wireless networking for planetary
exploration (Stephen Braham, Simon Fraser
University, Vancouver, Canada, P. Anderson, SFU
Telematics Laboratory, P. Lee, NASA Ames / SETI
Institute)   1115 An overview of current
wireless activities and potential applications,
(R. Magness, ESTEC)   1130 Wireless as a means
for spacecraft harness mass reduction and for
easing the AIT process (C. Plummer,
Cotectic)   1200 Multicarrier communications in
planetary and large spacecraft environments
W- OFDM as a solution (S. Braham, Simon Fraser
University, Vancouver, Canada)   1230 1400
Lunch
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WORKSHOP AGENDA Afternoon - Monday, 14
April   1400 1800 Session Chairperson Errico
Armandillo / Inmaculada Hernandez Velasco,
ESA-ESTEC   1400 Applications for wireless
sensors (P. Roussel, ESA-ESTEC)   1415 Why
wireless for spacecraft is difficult (R. Magness,
ESTEC)   1430 Analysis of the spacecraft
environment and implementation constraints on an
optical wireless communication (P. Pelissou, C.
Carron, Astrium)   1500 OWLS BER and co-channel
interferences analysis in optical wireless FDMA
transmission (M. Michelena, J. Martinez, J. de
Mingo, Instituto Nacional de Tecnica
Aeroespacial - INTA)   1530 Coffee
break   1545 Optical wireless links for
intra-satellite communications (OWLS) and
wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) (H.
Guerrero, J. Jimenez-Martin, M. Alvarez,
INTA)   1615 On-Board Wireless Acceleration
Acquisition System Optical Approach (A.
Rodríguez, A. Comerón, J. Berenguer, L. Pradell,
Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya)   1645 In-o
rbit experiment of intra-satellite optical
wireless links onboard Nanosat-01 (I. Arruego,
S. Rodriguez, M. Michelena, H. Guerrero,
INTA)   1730 Borrel in ESTEC restaurant  
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WORKSHOP AGENDA Morning - Tuesday, 15
April 900 1245 Session Chairperson Bertram
Arbesser-Rastburg, ESA-ESTEC   900 System
architectural concepts and mass reduction for
wireless implementation 3 real study cases (G.
Cassisa, Alenia Spazio, M. Mondin, Politecnico di
Torino)   930 Bluetooth RF compatibility
testing for BNSC (E. Pritchard, Systems
Engineering Assessment)   1000 IEEE 802.11b
RF compatibility testing for ESA (E. Pritchard,
Systems Engineering Assessment)   1015 QoS in
WLANs a comparison of 802.11a, 802.11a/e, and
HyperLAN/2 (M. Kuhn, J. Furrer, Ascom
Systec)   1045 Coffee Break   1100 On-Board
Wireless Acceleration Acquisition System RF
Approach (D. Ruiz, AD Telecom)   1130 WLAN
essentials, technologies, standards and
propagation aspects (R. Schimpf,
Artem)   1215 WLAN essentials, MAC layer, IEEE
802.11 frames, PHY layer (R. Steck,
Artem)   1300 1400 Lunch
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WORKSHOP AGENDA Afternoon - Tuesday, 15
April 1400 1815 Session Chairperson
Philippe Roussel, ESA-ESTEC   1400 Wireless
sensors onboard spacecraft (K. Champaigne,
Invocon)   1430 A commercial BlueTooth-based
wireless system for space applications (M.
Mascarello, Alenia Spazio, L. Feletti,
Politenico di Torino)   1500 Wireless LAN
security from WEP to AES (M. Hauri, Ascom
Systec)   1530 Wireless sensors applied to modal
analysis on space structures (A. Trott, G.
Ajupova, Invocon)   1600 Coffee
break   1620 Completely wireless radio TM/TC
system using very low power electronics (D.
Durrant, Systems Engineering and Assessment, A.
Burdett, Toumaz Technology)   1650 Feasibility
of using wireless CSMA/CR CAN messaging in a true
peer to peer network of more than 2 nodes (J.
Dammeyer, Automation Artisans) 1720 Demonstrati
on CANRF -- J. Dammeyer   1745 Demonstration
-- Wireless sensors onboard spacecraft Wireless
Airborne Telemetry System (WATS), and a
Micro-Triaxial Accelerometer Unit, MicroTAU (K.
Champaigne, Invocon)  
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WORKSHOP AGENDA Morning - Wednesday, 16
April 930 1250 Session Chairperson Jerzy
Lemanczyk / Martin Johansson, ESA-ESTEC 930
Bluetooth Practical Implementation (M. Hunter,
Plextek) 1000 Novel WLAN antenna technology for
potential onboard spacecraft applications (Y.
Hao, C. Parini, Queen Mary, University of
London)   1030 Coffee break   1050 Multiple
access in ultra-wideband communications using
multiple pulses (F. Nekoogar, University of
California Davis, F. Dowla, Lawrence Livermore
National Laboratory)   1120 Power line carrier
techniques applied to spacecraft data handling
(J. Bedu, J. Morrisse, X. Auvergne, Alcatel
Space, Patrick Plancke, ESA-ESTEC)   1150 Use
of the ISM frequency bands for short and
medium-range wireless data transmission onboard
spacecraft and large space stations (G. Perrotta,
G. Cucinella, IMTsrl)   1220 Non-intrusive
telemetry acquisition for engineering purpose
(Frank Roussel, D. Krähenbühl, Space-X, A.
Polini, CSEM)   1250 1400 Lunch
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WORKSHOP AGENDA Afternoon - Wednesday, 16
April 1400 1720 Session Chairperson Agustin
Fernandez-Leon, ESA-ESTEC   1400 Panel
Discussion over workshop goals   1430
Demonstration Non-intrusive telemetry
acquisition -- A wireless camera for space use
(Frank Roussel, D. Krähenbühl, Space-X, A.
Polini, CSEM)   1500 CFDP File transfer for
space application (M. Ciccone, ESA-ESTEC)   1530
Demonstration Simulation of a wireless camera
telemetry transfer using CFDP M.
Ciccone   1550 WLAN IP platform development
targeting FPGA and ASIC (S. McGrath, M. Phelan,
Duolog Technologies)   1620 Cutting the cord
onboard, Atmel wireless and IP cores (D. de Saint
Roman, Atmel)   1640 RTAX-S An introduction to
Actels next generation space FPGAs (J. Wells,
Actel)   1700 Space IP An introduction to
Actels strategy for re-usable designs (J. Wells,
Actel)   1720 Workshop End  
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Why wireless for spacecraft is difficult a
reminder for those involved in space projects, an
introduction for those potentially participating
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1) Most commercial electronics components /
devices are not suitable for space   Almost all
very complex devices are not suitable   Space
environment   Radiation in several forms, gamma,
proton streams, solar wind, heavy ions and other
sources cause conventional devices to Fail over
time Operate out of specification Become upset
(bit-flips) Undergo performance (speed)
degradation Generate logic and computational
errors   Temperature -- can be extreme, beyond
commercial ratings, sometimes beyond MIL
ratings   Component materials can produce
contaminants through out-gassing typical are
common component plastics   Relatively few
qualified complex parts
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2) As a result, we lack options in computingESA
radiation-tolerant devices are ERC32 (SPARC V7
based) 32-bit microprocessor, lt 100
MIPS LEON2-FT (SPARC V8 based) 32-bit
microprocessor, with cache, lt 150 MIPS 8-bit
Intel 80 series instruction set   Beginning to be
used in redundant modes PowerPC typically
board-level, not embedded   Coming additional DSP
device   Of these, only LEON2 is appropriate,
powerful enough and easily embeddable for most
commercial wireless implementations (MAC address
processor, baseband processing, embedded host
microprocessor
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3) Most commercial wireless RF technologies
employ very complex and dense circuits for MAC
address processing, device control, HLI (High
Level Interface) This may be solvable by
implementing a fault-tolerant LEON2 close-coupled
to the proprietary wireless logic portions as
baseband processing and to an off-the-shelf
integrated CMOS radio
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4) Intellectual property (IP core) for some is
very expensive For some IP we cannot now afford
it unless pricing falls dramatically or we decide
to share the costs   5) Commercial wireless
technologies are advancing very rapidly Sounds
great, but hard for space to keep up   6) The
Not Invented Here Attitude Does this exist
outside NASA?
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7) EMC issues for RF technologies How much power
does wireless RF need certainly less than
commercial (1-50mW) devices for internal to a
satellite, but how little -- unknown? (Per
application)   We do not have available EMC
profiles for all S/C subsystems, instruments and
devices, so evaluations other than full EMC
testing are difficult   EMC the key is the C,
though yet to be fully proven Needed are a suite
of EMC evaluations with typical satellite
components to begin Commercial technologies are
normally very clean out of band, so there is
reason to believe that compatibility can be
achieved Also, some RF technologies (Bluetooth
and WLAN-IEEE 802.11a/b/g) allow channel selection
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8) Multi-path reception problems for some RF
technologies Application should carefully
evaluate available technologies   9) Very complex
hardware and protocols for most RF
technologies More software overhead 10) Power
consumption issues for infrared technologies The
most immediate and important challenge for
infrared for power-limited S/C 11) LOS and
coverage area issues for diffuse infrared
technology May be overcome, but mostly on a
per-project basis
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12) While miniaturisation has been achieved for
commercial RF, infrared technology still has this
to overcome, even for an EM level system there is
much to be desired Will be overcome a matter
of time.   13) Perception You cannot be
serious, take my wires away? and radiate RF
energy inside my spacecraft!   could be right
wireless RF must prove itself
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14) Deploying wireless as the primary TM-TC data
handling media onboard a satellite will
revolutionize the AIT process a double-edged
sword While eventually savings in actual AIT
will be achieved, changing the process will
initially cost money   15) Employing wireless as
data cable elimination for the TM-TC data
handling bus as a means of wiring harness
reduction for a typical ESA satellite will save
significant mass   NOT True. It will save
negligible mass. If this is our only goal,
wireless cannot be justified. Only if applied to
many sensors and possibly to actuators is it
worthwhile as a cost-effective means for mass
reduction   16) Wireless Sensors as a vision is
noble, but the cost of RD and initial device
production will be high True
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These are the challenges most technical, all
difficult
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Wireless onboard workshop presentations/papers
ESTEC Wireless workshop material online by 15
May at http//www.estec.esa.nl/conferences/past_e
vents.html Wireless Data Communications Onboard
Spacecraft Technology and Applications Workshop,
14-16 April 2003 at ESTEC -- Or ESTEC
ftp /ftp/pub/ws/wsd/WLAN/Workshop/Submitted
Presentations3
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Key European space wireless interaction ESTEC
Wireless workshop 2003 http//www.estec.esa.nl/co
nferences/past_events.html -- Or --
ftp//ftp.estec.esa.nl/pub/ws/wsd/WLAN/Workshop/
WirelessWorkshop.htm Wireless Onboard web
site ftp//ftp.estec.esa.nl/pub/ws/wsd/WLAN/Wire
less_LAN_Onboard_Spacecraft.htm Yahoo
discussion eGroup http//groups.yahoo.com/group/
spacewlan/ E-mail distribution thru Topica
Spacecraft onboard wireless interfaces http//www
.topica.com/lists/spacewireless