GTD has just started a new collaboration with Astrium GmbH in Immenstaad for the development of the avionics simulators of a new satellite platform. That new standard platform architecture, called Astrobus, is being developed by Astrium with the objective to increase European competitiveness with an affordable state of the art high-performance concept. Astrobus is the satellite platform architecture of high resolution optical imaging satellites. GTD has in charge the functional specifications of the simulation models associated to the satellite avionics subsystems. These technical specifications are the entry point for the design and development of the simulation modules which are used during the validation phases of the on-board software of the satellite and for the development of the operational simulator (used by the satellite operators for training and maintenance purposes). These simulation modules are based on the SimTG architecture; developed by Astrium. SimTG is based on numerical simulation which is widely used in satellite functional validation, as their performance and extremely good fidelity allows the appropriate validation activities. As an example it includes a fully representative numerical model of the on-board computer, including an emulator of its processor whose performances allows faster than real time execution. The deep knowledge of the systems we develop, together with the proven maturity in the implementation of critical and high performance applications, lead GTD to the segment of simulation. High fidelity simulators for ground and onboard systems are one of the most GTD growing activities.
