Intra-Spacecraft Wireless Link and Its Application to Spacecraft Environmental Tests

Abstract

Replacement of the wire harnesses for data transfer used in a spacecraft with wireless links could reduce mass, enhance design flexibility, and simplify spacecraft integration tests. We have proposed a method for applying wireless link technology to the onboard data network of a spacecraft. In this paper, a commercial wireless device supplied by Oki Electric Industry that was developed for information and communications technology applications was assessed for this purpose. We conducted experiments and simulations to investigate its link performance in a spacecraft test model. Although a stable link between devices is established wherever the wireless device is placed inside the model, we observe a maximum space loss of 50 dB and estimate that an additional 40 dB design margin is required to cope with the fluctuating power level uncertainty arising from frequency channel choice and component location variance within the model. We also used the device to perform wireless sensor data transfer in spacecraft ground tests and determined that the device was suitable for such applications.