On-Board Computer for CubeSats: State-of-the-Art and Future Trends

Over the past three decades, the acceptance of higher risk thresholds within the space industry has facilitated the widespread integration of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components into avionics and payloads, leading to a remarkable transformation in the design of space missions. This transformation has led to the emergence of the New Space Economy and the widespread adoption of lean or small satellites in general, particularly CubeSats. CubeSats are now widely used in commercial, scientific, and research applications due to their versatility, affordability, simplicity of development, and accelerated development timelines. On-board computing plays a crucial role in the design of CubeSat missions, as increasingly high-performance computational requirements are needed to meet the challenges of future missions. This paper systematically reviews the state-of-the-art of CubeSat Command and Data Handling (C&DH) sub-system, covering both hardware components and flight software (FSW) development frameworks. It presents an analysis of the key features and recent developments of on-board computers (OBCs) in commercial and academic institutional projects funded by governments, agencies and public institutions. It further examines the effects of space radiation on avionics components and discusses the main fault-tolerance techniques used in CubeSat platforms. Finally, this paper highlights trends and hazards for future CubeSat avionics and identify potential directions for future developments in high-performance on-board computing. By synthesizing contemporary research and industry insights, this paper aims to shed light on CubeSat OBC design, providing an overview of the existing technology landscape and the challenges to be addressed for next-generation mission needs.