ESA Document - Emits - ESA

s
HMM
Assessment Study
Report: CDF-20(A)
February 2004
page 198 of 422
This introduces a problem not only in performances; already in some present designs sometimes
basic EEE parts are chosen not for architecture optimisation but because of the lack of any other
choice. At the moment (even including ITAR licenses) there is a dangerous lack of choice in
ADCs, analogues, power components, FPGAs and memories.
To support a mission that will need 20 years to exploit (considering only FM electronics) a
system of dedicated electronic supply lines shall be available. Current high-relativity electronic
market in Europe is not sufficiently robust to support such an effort. Current radiation-hardened
digital ICs for space applications are developed using a 0.35 µm CMOS process (ATMEL
MH1RT) while the most advanced American ICs are developed in 0.16 µm (IBM). The
conversion of entire modern production lines can be achieved by supporting European foundries
(ATMEL and ST) up to the newest SOI processes (see Figure 3-54 below).
3.3.6.1.3 Reliability
Figure 3-54: IBM foundry roadmap for high-performance microprocessors
The longest manned mission ever flown in space, without the possibility of immediate escape or
reentry (as in shuttle or ISS) are still the latest Apollo ones. Since then the complexity of onboard
data handling systems has grown, together with its centrality in spacecraft control. On the
other hand the amount of acceptable risk for the mission and the crew due to the probable