EuroSim Applications - Gaia Real-Time Simulator

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Gaia Real-Time Simulator

Objective

The Gaia realtime simulator and avionics special checkout equipment (SCOE) are created to support the development and verification of the Gaia spacecraft. EuroSim is at the heart of this electronic ground support (EGSE) equipment.

Context

Gaia is an ambitious mission to chart a three-dimensional map of our Galaxy, the Milky Way, in the process revealing the composition, formation and evolution of the Galaxy. Gaia will provide unprecedented positional and radial velocity measurements with the accuracies needed to produce a stereoscopic and kinematic census of about one billion stars in our Galaxy and throughout the Local Group. This amounts to about 1 per cent of the Galactic stellar population.

Role of EuroSim

EuroSim is the central simulation infrastructure for the verification facilities of the Gaia spacecraft. It is used in two main configurations:

Software Verification Facility

Purpose: Verification of the Gaia on-board software.
Architecture: On-board software executing on an instruction set emulator of the on-board processor, interfacing with models of the on-board computer and on-board equipment. EuroSim handles scheduling, model connectivity and user interface.

Hardware Test Benches

Purpose: Verification of the on-board software on the real hardware, integration of the on-board equipment with on-board computer.
Architecture: Models of on-board equipment interfacing with on-board computer hardware via hard real-time reflective memory interface. EuroSim handles model scheduling in hard real-time and synchronisation to the spacecraft hardware.