SpaceWire IP Core Development Services, Standard Package & Custom Space Payload Integration

Modern satellites increasingly rely on high-speed digital payloads such as optical imagers, hyperspectral cameras, synthetic aperture radar processors, scientific instruments, and AI accelerators. While the ECSS SpaceWire standard provides an excellent foundation for onboard communications, many missions require functionality beyond a standard protocol implementation.

CAVU provides both standard SpaceWire IP cores and mission-specific custom SpaceWire solutions that enable seamless integration between our onboard computers (OBCs) and customer payloads. Whether a project requires a simple telemetry interface or a complex multi-camera imaging architecture, our engineering team develops SpaceWire interfaces optimized for the mission.

Standard SpaceWire IP Core

Every CAVU Aerospace onboard computer includes a proven SpaceWire IP core designed for reliable spacecraft communications.

The standard package provides all core functionality expected from an ECSS-compliant implementation, including:

• Full ECSS SpaceWire protocol support
• Configurable link speed
• EOP (End Of Packet) and EEP (Error End Of Packet) packet framing
• Port start, stop and reset control
• Link status monitoring
• Error detection and reporting
• Interrupt-driven packet transmission and reception
• Generic transmit and receive APIs
• Integration with Linux and RTOS software environments
• Low-latency operation suitable for real-time spacecraft systems

For many spacecraft subsystems—including telemetry units, power systems, attitude control systems, GPS receivers, and standard payloads—this implementation provides everything required for reliable operation.

High-performance payloads often introduce requirements that cannot be solved with a generic communication driver alone.

Examples include multiple synchronized cameras, continuous high-speed image acquisition, large memory transfers, mission-specific command protocols, custom packet formats, real-time acquisition scheduling, hardware triggering, deterministic latency requirements & continuous streaming without software bottlenecks.

Rather than asking customers to modify their payloads, CAVU develops bespoke SpaceWire IP cores that match the payload architecture.

Custom SpaceWire IP Core Development

Our custom development service extends the standard SpaceWire implementation into a complete payload interface specifically tailored to the customer’s hardware and software architecture. Typical deliverables include:

Multi-Port SpaceWire Integration

Many imaging payloads require several independent SpaceWire links operating simultaneously.

For example, a three-camera payload may require 3 Camera SpaceWire interface. Our engineers integrate multiple SpaceWire ports directly into the FPGA architecture while maintaining synchronization and deterministic timing between all interfaces.

Camera-Specific Control API

Every payload has its own command structure and ICD. Instead of providing only generic packet transmission functions, we develop a dedicated software API that directly reflects the payload’s operational commands.

Typical API functions may include:

• Camera initialization
• Exposure control
• Trigger configuration
• Image acquisition
• Gain settings
• Calibration commands
• Temperature monitoring
• Health monitoring
• Error reporting
• Synchronization control

The software interface is designed around the customer’s ICD, significantly reducing software integration effort.

High-Performance DMA Architecture

Large imaging payloads can generate tens or hundreds of megabytes of image data every second.

Our custom implementations include optimized Direct Memory Access (DMA) architectures designed for sustained high-throughput operation.

Typical capabilities include:

• Continuous image streaming
• Scatter-gather DMA
• Zero-copy transfers where appropriate
• Memory bandwidth optimization
• Configurable buffering
• Circular buffer management
• Double-buffer and multi-buffer support
• Continuous transfers of at least 12 MB, with no implementation-imposed transfer limit
• Efficient CPU utilization

This architecture minimizes processor overhead while maintaining deterministic image acquisition.

Memory Allocation and Buffer Management

Reliable image acquisition requires careful memory management. Our software architecture includes dynamic or static memory allocation, configurable image buffers, buffer ownership management, queue management, overflow detection, transfer completion notifications, memory protection mechanisms & application-level synchronization. The objective is uninterrupted payload operation, even during long-duration imaging campaigns.

Linux and RTOS Integration

Spacecraft software environments differ from mission to mission. Software is compatible with Linux, FreeRTOS, RTEMS, VxWorks & Other project-specific operating systems

Deliverables typically include device drivers, hardware abstraction layer, user-space libraries, error recovery mechanisms, telemetry interfaces, health monitoring, configuration utilities, example applications & documentation. This allows customer application software to begin payload development immediately.

Error Detection and Recovery

Long-duration missions demand robust fault handling. Custom implementations can include SpaceWire link recovery, Automatic reconnect, Packet integrity monitoring, CRC verification (where applicable), DMA timeout detection, Buffer overflow protection, Camera communication monitoring, Health telemetry generation, Watchdog integration & Fault logging. These mechanisms improve system resilience and simplify spacecraft operations.

Verification and Validation

Software verification is performed against either the customer’s actual flight camera hardware, Engineering models, Breadboard systems or Camera-interface emulators agreed. with the customer

Verification activities typically include functional testing, interface compliance testing, long-duration transfer testing, throughput measurements, continuous streaming validation, error injection testing, recovery testing & ICD compliance verification. Testing against representative hardware reduces integration risk before spacecraft assembly.

Typical Deliverables

A bespoke SpaceWire development package may include:

• Custom FPGA SpaceWire IP integration
• Multi-port SpaceWire architecture
• Camera-specific software API
• DMA engine implementation
• Buffer management software
• Linux or RTOS drivers
• Example applications
• Verification test reports
• Source code
• Build environment
• Technical documentation
• Integration support