Ongoing Developments of Future Payload Data Processing Platforms at ESA

Data compression is a key technology for many types of space missions. Compression algorithms can be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of both. For software or combined hardware-software implementation the availability of powerful on-board processors is a key requirement. In the recent past, the data volumes produced by all types of space missions have increased significantly, creating an urgent need for more performant data processing platforms. Although the performance of available processors has increased, in many cases the improvements in performance were not adequate to fully satisfy the application’s processing requirements, and developers are forced to invest in expensive dedicated ASICs and programmable hardware. In order to address this situation, ESA is actively supporting the development of high performance payload data processing systems based on existing and future Space ASIC platforms and programmable devices. In this paper, we present the current status and the available options for the development of next generation data processing platforms. First, the expected needs for processing power on future missions are presented. Then, ongoing and planned ESA development activities for future performant payload data processors are introduced. We present the expected system performances and key characteristics of various development routes, and discuss the envisaged development schedule and relevant constraints.