Computer hardware developed in Dundee boldly goes on mission to Mercury
Spacewire network will connect onboard systems on 48 million-mile mission, writes Alison Campsie
Hardware developed in Dundee will this weekend embark on a seven-year, 48 million-mile mission to Mercury.
Spacewire, a computer network developed by University of Dundee and spin-out company Star-dundee, connects instruments, processors and other onboard systems.
The kit will be onboard the Bepicolombo mission to Mercury when it launches from Kourou, French Guiana, tomorrow.
It is the first European mission to Mercury, the smallest and least explored planet in the inner Solar System, and the first to send two spacecraft to make complementary measurements of the planet’s dynamic environment at the same time.
Professor Steve Parkes, chair of Spacecraft Electronic Systems at Dundee University and chief technology officer at Star-dundee, said the mission promises to uncover some of the mysteries of Mercury.
He said: “Only a few spacecraft have visited Mercury in the past so little is known about the planet. Bepicolombo actually comprises three spacecraft – two planetary orbiters and a mother spacecraft that will carry them to Mercury’s orbit – and Spacewire features on all three.
“One of these was developed by ESA to orbit and map the complete surface of Mercury to high resolution while the other is a Japanese craft that will measure Mercury’s magnetic field and other properties because the planet is believed to be rich in iron and have interesting magnetic properties.
“This is a very tricky mission and one of the big challenges is that Mercury is relatively close to Sun. Temperatures can vary from between -173 Celsius at night to 427 Celsius during the day, so spacecraft have to withstand these extreme temperatures as well as high levels of radiation.
“Our involvement has effectively been to provide the nervous system of the spacecraft. Spacewire was developed with input from international spacecraft engineers and has become the standard for use in space missions.”
The ambitious seven-year flight will make one flyby of Earth, two at Venus, and six at Mercury, before entering the latter’s orbit.