The PLATO ICU data compression chain - SW architecture and preliminary performance test results
- Author(s)
- Andrea Russi, Giovanni Giusi, Anna Maria Di Giorgio, Dominik Loidolt, Harald Ottacher, Simone Chiarucci, Scige J. Liu, Maria Farina, Fabrizio De Angelis, Mauro Focardi, Rosario Cosentino, Roland Ottensamer
- Abstract
PLAnetary Transits and Oscillations of stars (PLATO) is a medium-class mission selected by ESA in the framework of the Cosmic Vision programme to be launched in 2026. The PLATO Instrument Control Unit (ICU) is responsible for the management of the scientific payload, the communication with the satellite on board computer, the acquisition of housekeeping and scientific data from the 26 PLATO cameras and their processing before the downloading to the satellite Mass memory unit. The data produced by the cameras cannot be transmitted directly to ground as soon as they are acquired but an onboard pre-processing and compression is needed. While the pre-processing stage is in charge of the Data Processing Units (DPUs) of the cameras, the compression is executed on board ICU. Due to the highly demanding science requirements, the compression must be rigorously lossless. In this paper we will review the overall ICU onboard data processing chain, from the DPUs to the satellite Mass Memory, presenting the compression strategies implemented in the ICU application software architecture, and the results of the performance test run on the ICU Engineering Model.
- Organisation(s)
- Department of Astrophysics
- External organisation(s)
- INAF-Osservatorio Astrofisico di Torino, Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften (ÖAW), INAF - Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri, INAF-Osservatorio Astrofisico di Catania
- Volume
- 13092
- No. of pages
- 8
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3020165
- Publication date
- 08-2024
- Peer reviewed
- Yes
- Austrian Fields of Science 2012
- 103003 Astronomy, 103004 Astrophysics
- Keywords
- ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials, Condensed Matter Physics, Computer Science Applications, Applied Mathematics, Electrical and Electronic Engineering
- Portal url
- https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/b5d22d60-e7c8-4a51-b2cc-ca209f70a661