Optical-based COTS data communication bus for satellites

Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) components are gathering more and more interest from satellite developers thanks to their lower cost and ease of procurement as compared to space qualified ones. A number of studies to evaluate the possibility of COTS use in space systems are under way: they get benefits from the fast evolution of automotive and consumer electronic devices, which makes available innovative solutions and more reliable systems. This paper will focus on the analysis of the IrDA (Infrared Data Association) protocol and discuss the use of this standard to exchange data between the sub-systems of a satellite. This technique has many advantages towards other data interfaces such as CAN or proprietary solutions for low bit rate links, since it reduces the amount of wiring, keeping the benefits of standard and well documented solutions. We will also analyze cosmic radiation effects and propose an implementation which makes use of commercial low cost components.