Technolution Advance and the Royal Netherlands Aerospace Centre have started the development of a new Control & Data Processing Unit (CDPU) targeted towards microsats. The CDPU is a hub for optical instruments that forms a logical bridge between the instruments and the satellite platform. It will offer standardized hardware interfaces for integrating optical instruments, as well as sophisticated facilities for processing the optical data before it is sent downstream to earth.

The joint development of the new CDPU by Technolution Advance and Royal NLR is carried out within the framework of a ‘SBIR’ project commissioned by the Netherlands Space Office supporting the Dutch space industry. The characteristics of the CDPU will allow manufacturers of optical instruments to concentrate fully on the core tasks of their instruments. In this way it will support a considerable improvement of the ‘upstream’ capabilities of the Dutch optical industry.

The base design of the CDPU will allow for a lot of flexibility, which means that the specifications can always be tuned to the mission of the satellite. Technolution Advance and Royal NLR will employ modern, agile methods for quick development, while at the same time using the best practices of space industry to ensure maximum reliability and durability of the system. The partners are working toward a functional prototype of the CDPU by Q1 2023.