FPGA based real-time adaptive filtering for space applications

Satellites and other space-based signal processing systems face a challenging operating environment. In addition to radiation related effects, the satellites themselves are often electrically noisy, resulting in high levels of noise and interference in data signals. Digital signal processing systems such as adaptive filters are vital components for the next generation of satellites. Most current satellite systems have limited computing resources for on-board digital signal processing and lack flexibility to adapt to changing operation requirements. The deployment of reconfigurable Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) technology on-board satellites is a very promising solution for digital signal processing in space, as they offer flexibility, scalability and high performance. The High Performance Computing (HPC-I) payload integrated into the Australian scientific mission satellite FedSat is designed to evaluate the deployment of FPGA technology for a variety of space applications. This paper elaborates on implementing rule-based adaptive filtering techniques on FPGAs for space applications, presenting the design and implementation of an adaptive Finite Impulse Response (FIR) filter on HPC-I. A fuzzy adaptive image filtering algorithm for remote sensing applications is also considered.