The ERIU can be integrated through a variety of interfaces, covering all of the most common types used in MicroSatellites and sounding rockets today. Instead of connecting each payload to the On-Board Computer or sounding rocket encoder, the payloads are interfaced directly from the ERIU. Power distribution to each payload, including protection circuitry, is handled by the ERIU.
The ERIU has a flash-based SmartFusion2 SoC FPGA, containing a hard Arm Cortex-M3 processor. FPGA fabric can be used for accelerating specific user tasks when required. In combination with the integrated memory, the users can focus more on the front-end of their payloads and utilize the existing computing power and centralized memory in the ERIU instead if designing these repetitive building blocks for each payload. Encryption is optional and can be unlocked if requested by the user.
The ERIU will be designed to facilitate the future CCSDS Unified Space Data Link Protocol (USLP), as a custom IP delivered by EIDEL. As a service built around the ERIU EIDEL also offer full instrumental AIT to a single instrument package to be integrated into satellites, sounding rockets or other space installations.
