News

Second Generation of SpaceWire PXI Products Released

28 May 2020

STAR-Dundee’s SpaceWire PXI platform has now been updated to include a number of enhancements to single point of failure FMECA (Failure Mode Effects and Criticality Analysis) protection. The SpaceWire PXI Mk2 range of products now supersedes the original SpaceWire PXI products, offering all the features present in the original products and full backwards compatibility.

At STAR-Dundee we continually work to improve our products. When these improvements are to software or to a device’s firmware, we make these updates available through our website’s Product Support section. You can gain access to these downloads by registering your product. When the update is to the hardware, we endeavour to ensure backwards compatibility with previous generations of the product. We indicate the version number of a product using the mark designation system, abbreviated to Mk. For example, the SpaceWire PXI Mk2 (Mark Two) is the second generation of our SpaceWire PXI product range.

The SpaceWire PXI Mk2 is available in the following variants:

  • SpaceWire PXI Interface Mk2 4HP
  • SpaceWire PXI Interface Mk2 8HP
  • SpaceWire PXI Interface Mk2 with RMAP Target 4HP
  • SpaceWire PXI Interface Mk2 with RMAP Target 8HP
  • SpaceWire PXI Router Mk2

The SpaceWire PXI Mk2 products can be used in cPCI or PXI backplanes, provide link speeds of up to 400 Mbit/s and, as with our other interface and router products, are accessed using our STAR-System software suite. The 8HP variants of the PXI Interface Mk2 and PXI Interface Mk2 with RMAP Target have 4 general purpose bi-directional triggers on the front panel which can be used to sequence events such as the transmission of time-codes or data packets, or to indicate events to an external device such as an oscilloscope. A full FMECA guide for the SpaceWire PXI Mk2 boards is available on request.

SpaceWire PXI Mk2 Products

STAR-Dundee COVID-19 Update

07 May 2020

With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic requiring significant changes to our daily lives, we are striving to maintain productivity while protecting our employees. We are following the guidance of our governments in the UK and Spain, both to ensure the safety of our employees at STAR-Dundee and STAR-Barcelona, and to help minimise the spread of the virus.

The health and safety of our employees is our primary concern and the majority of our team are now working from home. Our homeworking engineers have all of the equipment they need to provide support but, in some cases, this may take slightly longer than normal.

We are continuing to work on our innovative research and development contracts and the development of new products as best we can, and have recently announced several new and forthcoming products. These include the SpaceWire Link Analyser Mk3, SpaceWire EGSE Mk2, SpaceFibre Interface FMC Board and STAR-Ultra PCIe. We expect to announce some more new products in the coming weeks.

There is a small team working in our office in Dundee, primarily focussed on fulfilling orders. We are grateful to our manufacturers and suppliers who are continuing to deliver to us. Our order fulfilment team is endeavouring to keep customers informed of likely delivery dates and ensure orders are delivered on time.

Everyone at STAR-Dundee would like to extend our best wishes to you all during these challenging times. We hope you are all safe and well.

Units being shipped during the COVID-19 pandemic

SpaceWire System Validation using the SpaceWire Recorder Mk2

06 May 2020

SpaceWire Recorder Mk2 Hardware and Software

In order to validate and debug complete SpaceWire systems it is very useful to be able to record and view the traffic on multiple links. Thorough validation can also require very large quantities of SpaceWire traffic to be stored and analysed.

The SpaceWire Recorder Mk2 can record and display the SpaceWire traffic on up to four SpaceWire links. It records SpaceWire packets, time-codes and link errors to solid-state disk, along with time information, and then displays these in network and packet level views ready to be inspected. The quantity of data that can be recorded and viewed is limited only by the size of the solid-state disks used (960 GB).

Recording statistics provide a summary of recording contents and help highlight any concerns. Built-in search helps to validate and navigate recorded traffic. To help automate SpaceWire traffic validation, all or part of a recording can be exported to CSV formatted files and then easily interpreted by custom software.

More information about the SpaceWire Recorder Mk2 is available on the product page.

SpaceWire EGSE and Device Simulator Mk2 Now Available!

28 April 2020

SpaceWire EGSE Mk2 Hardware and Software

A new version of our SpaceWire EGSE and Device Simulator has been released! Like its predecessor, the SpaceWire EGSE Mk2 can be used to very quickly create SpaceWire instrument and equipment emulations. This is done using a scripting language designed specifically for SpaceWire applications.

The SpaceWire equipment behaviour required can be quickly and accurately defined in a script. The script is then compiled on a host PC and the resulting configuration file loaded into the SpaceWire EGSE Mk2 unit. The EGSE Mk2 then immediately begins to operate as defined in the script, functioning independent of software, resulting in real-time performance and precise emulation.

The SpaceWire EGSE Mk2 supersedes the original SpaceWire EGSE. It now supports SpaceWire link speeds up to 400 Mbit/s (previously 200 Mbit/s); the on-board memory in which packet data is stored has been increased in size to 512 MB (previously 128 MB); and a USB 3.0 interface (previously USB 2.0) is now used to connect the unit to a host PC. Compared to the original SpaceWire EGSE, these improvements mean traffic can be transmitted and received at higher link speeds; a larger quantity of pre-defined packet data can be stored in memory; and compiled scripts can be loaded into hardware faster.

More information is available on the SpaceWire EGSE Mk2 product page.

SpaceWire Link Analyser Mk3 Now Available!

21 April 2020

Link Analyser Mk3 Hardware and Software

Essential for validating and debugging a SpaceWire link, our latest model of the SpaceWire Link Analyser is now available!

The Link Analyser Mk3 can capture and display bi-directional traffic travelling over a link; it can display live link statistics; and it can output decoded SpaceWire link characters and events to an external logic analyser. The traffic visibility this provides greatly helps to validate a link is operating correctly and aids debugging when problems are detected. Without such traffic visibility, there is an increased risk that issues go undetected and problems may take significantly longer to resolve.

Building on the capabilities of previous models, both the Link Analyser hardware and software are significantly improved. Hardware improvements mean much larger quantities of traffic can be captured, on SpaceWire links operating at faster speeds, and can be uploaded to a host PC more quickly. The software has been completely rewritten, retaining familiar views and useful functionality from the Mk2, whilst removing limitations of the previous software and adding new features.

More information is available on the SpaceWire Link Analyser Mk3 product page.

Conformance Tester Mk2 Now Available!

13 December 2019

SpaceWire Conformance Tester Mk2 Front

We are pleased to announce the availability of our all new SpaceWire Conformance Tester Mk2.

Building on the success of the original SpaceWire Conformance Tester, the Mk2 has a brand-new hardware design that connects to the computer over a USB 3.0 (or USB 2.0) connection. It is now rack mountable using our rack mounting kit. The Conformance Tester Mk2 supports testing of SpaceWire link speeds of up to 400 Mbit/s and comes with the newest version of the GUI software.

Example bit-level test results

More information is available on the SpaceWire Conformance Tester Mk2 product page.

STAR-Dundee Is Recruiting!

03 December 2019

We are currently looking to expand our team and have several positions open to work on our new products and technology for spacecraft applications. If you have a background in electronic circuit board, FPGA or ASIC design, or software engineering then we would be delighted to hear from you. We do expect you to have a 1st class or 2:1 degree in a relevant subject and are looking for people who are capable of working from their own initiative but who are also capable of working alongside other team members.

The roles are based in our main office in the heart of Dundee, overlooking the Tay estuary and a few minutes’ walk from the city centre. Dundee is a thriving University town in the heart of Scotland (50 miles north of Edinburgh), close (20 miles) to the Highlands and an ideal base for those who enjoy outdoor activities. Dundee was listed by Lonely Planet in 2018 as one of the top ten best European destinations to visit and praised for its ‘head-turning’ urban redevelopment.

Dundee and the Tay Road Bridge at dusk
Photo by Kim Cessford / DCT Media from https://www.seedundee.com/news/tay-bridge-our-10-favourite-photographs-of-this-iconic-structure-that-joins-fife-with-the-city-of-discovery/

As well as being a world leading supplier of spacecraft electronic test equipment and technology, offering interesting and challenging work, STAR-Dundee is an employee owned company. Around 55% of the company’s shares are owned by an Employee Ownership Trust on behalf of the employees. Staff are represented on this Trust and on the Board of Directors. Employees also benefit, when there is a dividend payment to the other shareholders, with a tax-free bonus.

Further information, including details of how to apply can be found in the job description.

STAR-Dundee CTO Recognised with Fletcher of Saltoun Award

08 November 2019

We are delighted to announce that our Chief Technology Officer, Steve Parkes, was recently presented with a Fletcher of Saltoun Award by the Saltire Society. These awards recognise outstanding contributions to Scottish society across different walks of life.

Congratulations to Steve from everyone at STAR-Dundee on this award, which is well deserved!

In addition to founding STAR-Dundee and leading the company as first Managing Director and then CEO until 2017, Steve is responsible for writing the SpaceWire, RMAP and SpaceFibre standards with input from the international space community. These standards are now used in hundreds of spacecraft which are monitoring the Earth, exploring our Solar System, and studying the universe.

In his current position as CTO, Steve is continuing to lead our research and development activities, while contributing to the development of new standards. One of several projects that he is responsible for STAR-Dundee’s contribution to is Hi-SIDE. In this world-leading project, we are collaborating with partners from across Europe, including Airbus, DLR, Kongsberg and Tesat, to significantly increase the performance of spacecraft data chains. Steve’s knowledge in this field was recognised with his appointment as chair of the Hi-SIDE System Design Board by the project’s partners.

STAR-Dundee would also like to extend our congratulations to the other recipients of a Fletcher of Saltoun Award in 2019: Aileen Christianson, Di Gilpin and Jan Clarkson, each of whom have made significant contributions to Scottish society in their respective fields.

STAR-Dundee and Alpha Data Demonstrate SpaceFibre and SpaceWire on Alpha Data’s ADA-SDEV-KIT XQRKU060

16 August 2019

STAR-Dundee and Alpha Data have recently demonstrated compatibility between our FMC SpaceWire/SpaceFibre board and the Alpha Data ADA-SDEV-KIT. The Alpha Data ADA-SDEV-KIT is the principal prototyping platform for designs targeting the Xilinx Space Grade Ultrascale™ part, the XQRKU060. This new FPGA allows deployment of Space Based Reconfigurable solutions more than five times the performance of previous generations, and has significantly higher performance transceivers that can support the highest SpaceFibre data rate of 6.25 Gbit/s per lane. The STAR-Dundee FMC SpaceWire/SpaceFibre board provides the perfect development platform for customers wishing to test and develop SpaceWire and SpaceFibre solutions with our SpaceWire and SpaceFibre VHDL IP cores.

FMC SpaceWire/SpaceFibre Board

“STAR-Dundee’s SpaceWire and SpaceFibre IP and FMC card will enable Alpha Data ADA-SDEV-KIT customers to develop and implement robust, fault tolerant, space capable communications systems.”

Andrew McCormick, Technical Director, Alpha Data

Established in 1993, Alpha Data is a world leader in Xilinx FPGA based plug-in acceleration boards for Data Center, high-performance computing, and rugged embedded computing applications. Alpha Data’s high-reliability hardware platforms are ideal for development as well as full-scale production deployment – shaping the future in video processing, machine learning, and network acceleration. Further product details and ordering options for Alpha Data’s ADA-SDEV-KIT are available on Alpha Data’s website: www.alpha-data.com.

More information about the FMC SpaceWire/SpaceFibre board and the SpaceWire and SpaceFibre IP cores is available on the Products section of our website.

STAR Fire Mk3 Now Available!

14 June 2019

STAR Fire Mk3

Closely following on from the publication of the SpaceFibre standard, our latest SpaceFibre and SpaceWire enabled test and development unit is now available!

The STAR Fire Mk3 can transmit and receive both SpaceWire and SpaceFibre traffic; it can interconnect SpaceWire equipment to a SpaceFibre network; and it can operate as a SpaceFibre link analyser, capable of unobtrusively capturing and displaying SpaceFibre traffic. Leveraging these capabilities, it is possible to emulate, stimulate, debug and validate SpaceFibre enabled equipment.

Previous versions of the STAR Fire were created whilst we developed the SpaceFibre standard, helping to prove the technology and providing early adopters with access to test equipment. Building on the previous STAR Fire models and our expertise in SpaceFibre, both the STAR Fire Mk3 hardware and software have been significantly improved, resulting in a comprehensive test and development platform.

More information is available on the STAR Fire Mk3 product page.

SpaceFibre Standard Published!

29 May 2019

SpaceFibre Standard Published

For the past decade, STAR-Dundee has been leading the development of the next generation of SpaceWire technology: SpaceFibre. SpaceFibre is a high-performance, high-reliability, high-availability network technology for use onboard spacecraft.

Our efforts in developing SpaceFibre were recently rewarded with the publication of the SpaceFibre standard, “ECSS-E-ST-50-11C – SpaceFibre – Very high-speed serial link”, by the European Space Agency’s standardisation body, the European Cooperation for Space Standardization.

SpaceFibre provides data signalling rates of 6.25 Gbit/s in current flight technology, over electrical or fibre optic cables, while its unique multi-laning features allow up to 16 lanes to be combined into a single link, giving a theoretical link rate of 100 Gbit/s. SpaceFibre offers much more than high data rates, however. The technology is capable of detecting, isolating and recovering from faults in the link where they occur, which prevents faults from propagating and causing further errors. SpaceFibre provides galvanic isolation, transparent recovery from transient errors, error containment in virtual channels and frames, and “Babbling Node” protection. Very versatile quality of service mechanisms allow scheduled, deterministic communication without wasting any network bandwidth.

These powerful capabilities mean that SpaceFibre is not only suitable for very high data rate payloads such as synthetic aperture radar and multi-spectral imaging instruments; it can also be used for network and equipment management and for deterministic command and control type applications. SpaceFibre allows each of these traffic types with very different requirements to share a single network, with each traffic stream operating independently within its own virtual network.

SpaceFibre has been and is being designed into its first ASICs, on-board equipment and space missions. The powerful Ramon Chips RC64 many-core DSP features STAR-Dundee IP to provide 12 SpaceFibre ports each offering up to 6.25 Gbit/s data signalling rate. SpaceFibre is being used in Europe, USA, Russia and Japan and has been incorporated in the latest revision of the ANSI/VITA 78 SpaceVPX backplane standard.

Our CTO, Steve Parkes, wrote the SpaceFibre standard with inputs from international spacecraft engineers, and STAR-Dundee has designed, implemented and tested:

In addition, STAR-Dundee has demonstrated the first complete SpaceFibre network representative of spaceflight applications and incorporating radiation tolerant technology. STAR-Dundee owns a patent on the SpaceFibre multi-lane technology, which is being freely licensed for space related applications.

We currently offer several SpaceFibre IP cores and SpaceFibre Test and Development products, with more products to be added to this range in the near future.

2019 Conferences and Trade Shows Begin with IEEE Aerospace

26 February 2019

IEEE Aerospace Conference

STAR-Dundee’s attendance at conferences and trade shows in 2019 began with the IEEE Aerospace Conference in Big Sky Montana, which started on March 2nd. Our CTO presented a paper titled “SpaceFibre Interfaces and Architectures” on the 3rd,  while at our booth we demonstrated our latest SpaceWire and SpaceFibre developments, including a new version of our SpaceFibre Router with 12 ports, and the SpaceFibre Camera, featuring a radiation-tolerant (RTG4) FPGA. Images were shown being transferred from the SpaceFibre Camera, over a SpaceFibre network, through the SpaceFibre Router, and received on a PC using the STAR Fire Mk3. The USB 3.0 interface on this unit allows the images to be received at data rates in excess of 1 Gbit/s. At the same time, a slower data feed was routed from SpaceWire to SpaceFibre and then back to SpaceWire. It is straightforward to add SpaceWire traffic into a SpaceFibre network using our SpaceFibre Router, as it offers both SpaceFibre and SpaceWire ports.

Other events where you can meet our team this year and see these great demos include: