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\t\t\t\t\t\t13\/12\/2024<\/span> A key element of ESA\u2019s role as Europe\u2019s space agency is the expansion of space knowhow, by encouraging new actors into the field. Case in point: a Polish software company previously specialising in smartphone apps took on the challenge of designing the operating system for the main instrument of Proba-3 \u2013 an ambitious double spacecraft mission to reveal secrets of the Sun\u2019s fiery atmosphere, the corona.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Launched on 5 December 2024, the two satellites making up Proba-3 will manoeuvre in space so that one eclipses the solar disk, allowing sustained observations of the surrounding solar corona by the mission\u2019s main instrument: the Association of Spacecraft for Polarimetric and Imaging Investigation of the Corona of the Sun, or ASPIICS for short.<\/p>\n \u201cProba-3 is a relatively small experimental mission, with involvement of newer ESA Member States, including Romania, Czech Republic and Poland,\u201d explains ESA\u2019s Proba-3 project manager Damian Galano. \u201cEnabling companies to gain space experience and new capabilities is part of our remit. So while an established prime contractor might have adapted an existing set of software for the ASPIICS instrument, we ended up with software written from scratch by a new entrant into the space sector \u2013 and it worked out very well for us.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Poland\u2019s N7 Mobile\u00a0began as a software company specialising in applications for mobile devices such as entertainment, music streaming and payment systems, but set up a small space division\u00a0in the middle of the last decade.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u201cWe had an existing interest in the field,\u201d explains Micha\u0142 Mosdorf of\u00a0N7 Space. \u201cMembers of our team with some experience of educational CubeSat projects, such as the first Polish satellite\u00a0PW-Sat 1, as well as ESA Education\u2019s\u00a0Rexus\/Bexus, which gives students the chance to fly payloads in sounding rockets or high-altitude balloons. Our team also contributed to space missions such as\u00a0SolarOrbiter\u00a0and BritePL. Space was not entirely new to us, and we wanted to explore what we might do commercially. So we joined the ASPIICS consortium led by Space Research Centre in Poland.\u201d<\/p>\n That was the start of ten years sustained effort: the extremely sophisticated ASPIICS has its own on-board computer, and N7 Space\u2019s software was needed to oversee its operations, receiving and processing telecommands, processing, storing and returning mission data as well as \u2013 crucially \u2013 helping to keep the two Proba-3 satellites aligned to keep the Sun in eclipse and its corona in view for hours at a time.<\/p>\n Over 12 000 hours went into finalising the ASPIICS software. As Micha\u0142 explains: \u201cIt\u2019s a far cry from software engineering for mobile apps, a very different kind of challenge. That kind of app might be active on a million clients, across hundreds of different devices. If a problem occurs, we can respond and fix it. For spaceflight we have a single client where we can\u2019t suddenly fix issues during spaceflight, so the formalities are understandably quite rigorous. We invested a lot of time in creating a representative simulator allowing us to work on the software long before the complete instrument was integrated.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Among the challenges for N7 Space was adapting to the space sector\u2019s ways of working. This includes the use of ESA\u2019s particular hardware ecosystem, embodied in the space-optimised LEON-3 \u2018system on a chip\u2019 microprocessor, not found in other markets.<\/p>\n Micha\u0142 adds: \u201cWe also had to become compliant with European Coordination for Space Standardisation, ECSS\u00a0processes, which is the generally agreed rulebook on how all aspects of space engineering are carried out, including software design and testing. This is quite a formal process in terms of verification, traceability and code quality.\u201d<\/p>\n Working with ESA held some distinct advantages too. N7 Space was able to make use of formal tools available in the TASTE\u00a0environment, which is a set of open source, state-of-the-art software development tools promoted by ESA, dedicated to the development of embedded, real-time systems.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u201cLooking back, coding for ASPIICS has proven one of the most challenging projects that we\u2019ve undertaken, but the experience has been invaluable in terms of kick-starting the N7 Space company; we now have more than 30 projects on our books \u2013 thanks in part to our association with ESA \u2013 and grown from three people initially to 25 specialised software engineers plus additional support staff,\u201d says Micha\u0142.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u201cESA remains our key partner but our experience is also useful in other domains. The N7 Space team currently works with the European Southern Observatory implementing the\u00a0Extremely Large Telescope\u00a0control system software.<\/p>\n \u201cN7 Space offers bespoke software development services for the space market. We also provide pre-qualified space products that help other companies accelerate the development of flight software. We made recent contributions to ESA\u2019s Hera and Comet Interceptor\u00a0missions.<\/p>\n \u201cThe products we offer have been supported by various ESA funding programmes, with its General Support Technology Programme playing a leading role. Interestingly, products developed in collaboration with ESA have also attracted customers from non-ESA and non-European projects. Additionally, N7 Space has become part of the SPACEBEL group, forming a joint venture between Polish and Belgian capital. This partnership enables us to collaborate effectively with major industry players.<\/p>\n \u201cFollowing the Proba-3 launch, our team is already engaged in activities for future missions, such as Ariel. We maintain close communication with ESA mission teams and are ready to provide support whenever needed.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t6<\/span> likes<\/small><\/span><\/p>\n<\/header>\nFrom smartphones to a space computer<\/h2>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nMeeting space specifications<\/h2>\n
Building a space company<\/h2>\n
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