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Design of a SoC based multipurpose, reconfigurable compute unit for nano-satellite applications
van der Merwe, J. 2025. Design of a SoC based multipurpose, reconfigurable compute unit for Nano-satellite applications. Unpublished masters thesis. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/items/cb1d6670-8d9e-47b9-bd3e-8d4de05790d6
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2025
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| _version_ | 1867614063133982720 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Van der Merwe, Jurgen |
| author2 | Duckitt, W. |
| author_browse | Duckitt, W. Van der Merwe, Jurgen |
| author_facet | Duckitt, W. Van der Merwe, Jurgen |
| author_sort | Van der Merwe, Jurgen |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | van der Merwe, J. 2025. Design of a SoC based multipurpose, reconfigurable compute unit for Nano-satellite applications. Unpublished masters thesis. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/items/cb1d6670-8d9e-47b9-bd3e-8d4de05790d6 |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/132367 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:46:04.365Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/132367 Design of a SoC based multipurpose, reconfigurable compute unit for nano-satellite applications Van der Merwe, Jurgen Duckitt, W. Barnard, Arno Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Engineering. Dept. of Electrical and Electronic Engineering. Nanosatellites -- Control systems Embedded computer systems Space environment UCTD van der Merwe, J. 2025. Design of a SoC based multipurpose, reconfigurable compute unit for Nano-satellite applications. Unpublished masters thesis. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/items/cb1d6670-8d9e-47b9-bd3e-8d4de05790d6 Thesis (MEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2025. ENGLISH ABSTRACT: With CubeSats gaining popularity in the satellite market, notably due to their low-cost and rapid development cycle, they are now widely adopted by universities, research institutions, and commercial companies. Subsequently, they’re applied to different applications in scientific research, Earth observation, and technology demonstration. However, the lack of a CubeSat processing unit which specifically includes reconfigurability as a feature was identified as a potential gap in the current commercial CubeSat processing units. The potential benefits of a reconfigurable processing unit include increasing the satellite’s versatility by enabling hardware reconfiguration in orbit, promoting innovation by enabling in-orbit testing of novel ideas, and mitigating the risk of project delays or budget increases. This project investigates the design of a CubeSat compute unit that integrates reconfigurability through the use of the Xilinx Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC architecture for a high-performance, in-orbit adaptable compute unit. The project showed that the safety mechanisms in the Zynq SoC devices can be exploited in order to enable their reconfiguration to new firmware without compromising the safety of the system. The developed hardware and firmware were tested in a simulated CubeSat environment. The results of the integration and reconfiguration tests performed on the system showed that the implemented compute unit was reconfigurable and performed well. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die gerbuik van kleiner satelliete in die satellietmark neem vinnig toe as gevolg van hul lae koste en vinnige ontwikkelingsiklus. Die CubeSat satellite het wydverspreide gebruik deur universiteite, navorsingsinstellings en kommersi¨ele maatskappye vir toepassings in wetenskaplike navorsing, aardwaarneming en tegnologiedemonstrasie gevind. Die gebrek aan ’n CubeSat-verwerkingseenheid wat spesifiek herkonfigureerbaarheid as ’n kenmerk insluit, is egter ge¨ıdentifiseer as ’n potens¨ıele leemte in die huidige kommersi¨ele CubeSatverwerkingseenhede. Die potens¨ıele voordele van ’n herkonfigureerbare verwerkingseenheid vir CubeSattoepassings sluit in die verhoging van die satelliet se veelsydigheid deur hardewareherkonfigurasie in ’n wentelbaan moontlik te maak, die bevordering van innovasie deur in-wentelbaantoetsing van nuwe idees moontlik te maak, en die risiko van projekvertragings of begrotingsverhogings te versag. Hierdie projek ondersoek die ontwerp van ’n CubeSat rekenaareenheid wat herkonfigureerbaarheid integreer deur die Xilinx Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC-argitektuur te gebruik vir ’n ho¨eprestasie, in-omwenteling-aanpasbare rekenaareenheid. Die projek het getoon dat die veiligheidsmeganismes in die Zynq SoC-toestelle uitgebuit kan word om hul herkonfigurasie na nuwe sagterware moontlik te maak sonder om die veiligheid van die stelsel in te boet. Die ontwikkelde harde- en sagteware is suksesvol bevestig in ’n gesimuleerde CubeSat omgewing. Die resultate van die integrasie- en herkonfigurasietoetse wat op die stelsel uitgevoer is, het getoon dat die ge¨ımplementeerde rekenaareenheid funksioneel was en goed gevaar het. Die resultate van die toetse is bespreek en gebiede vir toekomstige werk is voorgestel. Masters 2025-06-05T07:37:56Z 2025-06-05T07:37:56Z 2025-03 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/132367 en Stellenbosch University xiv, 105 pages : illustrations application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Nanosatellites -- Control systems Embedded computer systems Space environment UCTD Van der Merwe, Jurgen Design of a SoC based multipurpose, reconfigurable compute unit for nano-satellite applications |
| title | Design of a SoC based multipurpose, reconfigurable compute unit for nano-satellite applications |
| title_full | Design of a SoC based multipurpose, reconfigurable compute unit for nano-satellite applications |
| title_fullStr | Design of a SoC based multipurpose, reconfigurable compute unit for nano-satellite applications |
| title_full_unstemmed | Design of a SoC based multipurpose, reconfigurable compute unit for nano-satellite applications |
| title_short | Design of a SoC based multipurpose, reconfigurable compute unit for nano-satellite applications |
| title_sort | design of a soc based multipurpose reconfigurable compute unit for nano satellite applications |
| topic | Nanosatellites -- Control systems Embedded computer systems Space environment UCTD |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/132367 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT vandermerwejurgen designofasocbasedmultipurposereconfigurablecomputeunitfornanosatelliteapplications |