Institute of research into the fundamental laws of the Universe

The Space Electronics Laboratory (LEDES) of the (CEA-IRFU) Astrophysics Division has recently signed a partnership agreement with the industrial company Skylab Industries to manufacture and distribute space equipment including the computer software known as "SpacewireCEA" which was initially developed at the CEA for the PACS infrared camera on the Herschel satellite. This software, which is integrated into the on-board electronics, is able to transfer observational data at a high rate from the space instruments. It can achieve a maximum data flow-rate of 400 Megabits per second  [1], whilst meeting the international "Spacewire" standard, a very demanding set of technical constraints drawn up by the European Space Agency (ESA) in order to ensure compatibility between different pieces of satellite equipment.