Integrating SpaceWire and SpaceFibre for Space Communication

By _Frontgrade Gaisler Blog

August 6, 2024

We have introduced a system that bridges between SpaceWire and SpaceFibre links, providing a robust, high-speed communication solution for space applications. This innovation leverages our SpaceWire router IP core and SpaceFibre interface IP core, ensuring data transmission between the two protocols without the need for software intervention.

Understanding SpaceWire

SpaceWire is a well-established data communication protocol designed by the European Space Agency (ESA) for use in space applications. Operating at baud rates up to 400 Mbits/s, SpaceWire links are bi-directional, point-to-point communication links widely used in satellites and spacecraft.

Key features of SpaceWire include:

• Designed to withstand the space environment, SpaceWire uses error-detection and correction techniques like cyclic redundancy check (CRC) and packetization to ensure data integrity.
• SpaceWire is cost-effective and simple to implement, supported by numerous components and IP Cores.
• Each SpaceWire link includes a coder/decoder (CODEC) that encodes data packets into a serial bit-stream for transmission and decodes incoming serial bit-streams into data packets.

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