Abstract

In space, maintenance and repair are not an option. Once deployed, satellite systems must operate reliably throughout their intended mission duration without physical intervention. This makes the use of fault detection, isolation, and recovery (FDIR) strategies a fundamental design requirement for all satellite subsystems. [1]

FDIR enables a system to detect abnormal behavior, isolate faulty components, and initiate recovery actions—ideally without compromising mission goals. However, implementing FDIR is far from trivial. It often results in increased cost, higher component count, expanded board area, and longer development time. Each additional component that is introduced to improve reliability also contributes its own failure probability, negatively impacting the system’s overall mean time to failure (MTTF).

Improving reliability by adding complexity requires a carefully balanced design approach. To meet design goals, effective FDIR must achieve its purpose with minimal design overhead that uses as few additional components with as high reliability as possible. Designers of satellite-based systems can use advanced space-grade semiconductors to enable targeted, efficient FDIR implementations.

This white paper discusses TI’s space product families and explains how they contribute to FDIR design—helping engineers reduce the burden on cost, board space, component count, power consumption, and development effort.