Design of a Test Equipment Prototype for SpaceWire Data Generation and Processing in a Specific Time-Constrained Test Scenario

On-Board Data Handling is a key feature of modern Spacecrafts, which usually include various on-board devices requiring effective testing during verification and integration phases. The test equipment used on ground to test spacecraft functionalities is referred to as Electrical Ground Support Equipment (EGSE). This paper presents the design and development of the prototype of an EGSE, to test and verify SpaceWire communication in a time-constrained scenario. At first, an introduction about EGSEs is given, along with an overview of SpaceWire protocol and presenting the State Of The Art of SpaceWire-based EGSEs. Then the specific test scenario for which the proposed solution has been developed is defined, focusing on its time and data constraints. After that, the implementation of the prototype is described, focusing on SpW data generation and processing. Finally, the results of the use of the system are resumed.