27 October 2006

Dundee research in STEREO

The pioneering STEREO space mission launched by NASA to capture 3-D images of the sun benefited from research at the University of Dundee.

The STEREO mission, launched on Wednesday, uses SpaceWire technology, the development of which was led by the Space Technology Centre at the University.

SpaceWire is a communications network which connects together many of the electronic units onboard a spacecraft and can send information between them at high speeds. In the case of the STEREO mission the SpaceWire technology connects the crafts' external sensors to onboard processing and data storage facilities.

"The technology is being increasingly commonly used in missions launched by NASA, the European Space Agency, and JAXA, the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency," said Dr Steve Parkes, who developed SpaceWire with input from spacecraft engineers across Europe.

The mission also utilises test and development equipment, created by university spin-out company STAR-Dundee, to support the development of onboard data-handling sub-systems.

STAR-Dundee Ltd is a spin-out from the Space Technology Centre at the University of Dundee.

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