KP Labs – Antelope – On-Board Computer with predictive maintenance

Antelope on-board computer (OBC) is the combination of a Telemetry, Tracking & Command (TT&C) module and a Data Processing Unit (DPU). It is responsible for satellite control and basic task performance such as communication handling, monitoring the satellite’s subsystems, handling the classic Fault Detection, Isolation and Recovery (FDIR) mechanism and performing planned tasks. Thanks to the a 160 GOPS FPGA system it can also handle complicated on-board data processing tasks enabling Earth Observation (EO), telecommunication and other demanding data processing applications.

Antelope was designed to maximize spacecraft safety. Thanks to customised mechanisms which protect against effects related to space radiation it can be applicable in more demanding missions. An optional layer of security is provided by the machine learning algorithms which, on the basis of telemetric data, detect events which may be considered as threatening to the security of the mission. If such an event is detected, the computer will notify the operator in order to take corrective actions.

Antelope is managed by Oryx – a modular flight software tool developed for the mission control of small satellites.