A standard spacecraft data system on a chip: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's Essential Services Node (ESN)

Abstract

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), with the development of the Essential Services Node (ESN), has solved many of the common problems faced by spacecraft system designers. With each satellite and spacecraft developed, engineering teams repeatedly address several design requirements that are common to all projects as they pertain to the data system. In its effort to reduce the recurring engineering applied to these tasks, GSFC has developed the ESN. The ESN is a standard spacecraft data system in a single multi-chip module (MCM) package. The ESN is embedded into the subsystem of a spacecraft as a standardized means of performing the essential tasks of a data system. The ESN reduces the engineering effort required to meet the common requirements of spacecraft's subsystem. This paper briefly describes the development history of the ESN and how previous work has led to its success. This paper also outlines the features, benefits, and applications of the ESN, as well as describing its design in detail and presenting some of the ESN's applications.