A comparative survey on flight software frameworks for ‘new space’ nanosatellite missions

Abstract

Nanosatellite missions are becoming increasingly popular nowadays, especially because of their reduced cost. Therefore, many organizations are entering the space sector due to the paradigm shift caused by nanosatellites. Despite the reduced size of these spacecrafts, their Flight Software (FSW) complexity is not proportional to the satellite volume, thus creating a great barrier for the entrance of new players on the nanosatellite market. On the other side, there are some available frameworks that can provide mature FSW design approaches, implying in considerable reduction in software project timeframe and cost. This paper presents a comparative survey between six relevant flight software frameworks, compared according to commonly required ‘New Space’ criteria, and finally points out the most suitable one to the VCUB1 reference nanosatellite mission.