Speaker
Description
The growing significance of small satellites in space missions motivates the definition of streamlined CubeSat platforms that emphasizes cost-effective and flexible communication solutions. Central to this effort is the use of FPGAs, chosen for their capacity to integrate commercial off-the-shelf components while meeting stringent performance and reliability demands. By capitalizing on FPGA-based architectures, both rapid prototyping and reconfiguration capabilities can be achieved for on-the-fly protocol updates, a critical requirement for satellite communications under tight power and volume constraints.
This work highlights the central role that will be played by FPGAs for small-satellite applications and how technology is developing to meet expectations and requirements of the sector. Key clues include the capability of implementation of advanced signal processing technics in restricted form factors, radiation-tolerant design to mitigate single-event upsets, real time adaptability and power efficiency to accommodate the high radiated power required in low Earth orbit. For instance, SoC-style FPGAs can integrate processor cores and dedicated DSP blocks, facilitating maximum spectrum utilization and error correction, which is very important in such a hostile environment as space. We further elaborate on how adopting COTS FPGAs streamlines both cost and availability, enabling iterative, agile development cycles.
Building on these insights, we offer a comprehensive study of emerging trends in FPGA usage for small-satellite SatCom, integrating state-of-the-art research on reconfigurability, system miniaturization, as well as power consumption and cost reduction. This survey focuses on how modern FPGAs can not only address today’s challenges—such as bandwidth allocation and Adaptative Beamforming—but also dynamically adjust to evolving mission objectives. Through this work, we aim to advance the knowledge base for next-generation CubeSat communication systems, ultimately fostering more resilient, versatile, and scalable satellite networks.
Affiliation of author(s)
Universidad de Málaga
| Track | Reconfiguration |
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