Embedded Systems in Space

Breaking new ground with spin-ins from other industries

Not only in the exploration of the earth, our solar system and the cosmological contexts in the universe, the European Space Agency ESA sets out on new paths. Learned lessons from other industries, so-called "spin-ins", play an increasingly important part in further developing the technologies used.

Electronics & embedded software

The relevance of electronics and embedded software in complex satellite systems is growing steadily and is increasingly important for the success of a mission. However, the historically evolved practice to develop electronics and the respective software for planned missions from scratch is no longer appropriate. A large part of the SW functionalities of comparable (sub-) systems converges, allowing room for more efficiency, both in the development of such software and in quality assurance.

Spin-in for the space industry

Against the background of the evergrowing share of electronics and embedded software, the space industry can increasingly benefit from the experience and best practices gained in other industries.

In the development of highly complex satellite systems, the European Space Agency ESA can for example gain great advantage through the experience made in the automotive industry or in the area of other transport systems. In current research, knowledge gained in the development of AUTOSAR-standards or in cross-vendor use of communication standards is compared with the knowledge of past and current satellite developments. Initial results of such studies caused ESA to launch an initiative aiming at standardizing software architecture for on-board software.

Breaking new grounds with our experience

Berner & Mattner has many years of experience in developing embedded systems for several industries and foremost in safety-critical environments. As a result, our company can also give crucial impulses and spin-ins for the upcoming changes in the technological foundation of further developments in space. This means that even "rocket science" is a field open to our ideas! We regularly raise them in current discussions, thus supporting to create a solid foundation for future- oriented developments for space science.