System engineering

Together with avionics and equipment design, Crisa contributes to system level studies and activities in the following areas:

• Spacecraft level tasks: SMOS electrical engineering services for EADS CASA Espacio (satellite EMC, equipment and subsystem specifications), Proximity Communication Subsystem between the ISS and the Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV), Smart-2 Phase-A studies, Spainsat IRMA antenna instruments control unit and power distribution unit, etc.

• Mars exploration: Crisa, in collaboration with Centro de Astrobiología (INTA), is developing the REMS meteorological station for the future NASA's Mars exploration rover called Mars Science Laboratory. Crisa is the technical and industrial responsible for the REMS instrument, and is responsible for REMS mission definition and assurance, system engineering, sensors specification and follow-up, development of the mechanical platform and development of the Instrument Control Unit

• Cryomagnet Avionics Box for the ISS Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer

  The AMS has ambitious objectives like the corroboration of the presence or absence of antimatter in distant galaxies, providing new input on the origin and structure of dark matter, and determining the origin and composition of charged cosmic rays

  Experiments either self-contained or for the ISS: experiment for the Deposition of Materials In-Orbit (flown in STS); Alpha-Magnetic Spectrometer Cryomagnet Avionics Box

• Data Handling Engineering: ASCAT DCE subsystem definition, and Data Processing Electronics design and development, Planck-LFI Electrical Architecture Study and control/signal processing design and development, and Metop-IASI Instrument Management Subsystem design.

• Power System Engineering, including the power system electronics design for GOCE, Leostar platform (Rocsat2 and Theos), Smart-1 battery management electronics, Minisat 10 electrical system engineering, etc.

• Launcher Electronics Systems: VEGA Avionics Bay electrical design and harness specification, integration and testing activities.

• Alphabus Electrical Propulsion System: support to system engineering, specification and development of the Power Supply and Control Unit. As a result of pre-development activities (EM produced), the system has been selected for Alphabus “extended platform” range. A full qualification and life test will be completed by mid 2009.

• Spanish Earth Observation Satellite: Power and Data Handling sub-systems, Video chain acquisition and processing.