Watching Satellites Leave Orbit

Imagine watching satellites deploy from space. That’s exactly what TRL11 set out to build.

The company developed a digital video recorder and multi-camera imaging system for integration into a CubeSat dispenser aboard Launcher Space’s Orbiter transfer vehicle. The system captured every stage of deployment, giving engineers visual confirmation that each satellite had successfully separated before transitioning to Earth-observation duties later in the mission.

The same hardware wasn’t limited to deployment. Once the CubeSats were released, the camera system continued operating in orbit, supporting Earth-observation imaging for the remainder of the mission.

The Challenge: More Than Just a Camera System

At the center of the system was an NVIDIA Jetson AGX Xavier running Linux. The Jetson received video streams from multiple IP cameras, recorded the footage, performed onboard image processing, and communicated with Launcher Space’s flight computer.

That meant the network had to do far more than connect a few devices together. It carried live camera streams, recorded video, control commands, and status information simultaneously. The Ethernet switch became the core of the entire imaging system.

The Solution: Finding Room for the Network

Spacecraft don’t have room for oversized hardware. Traditional enclosed Ethernet switches would have added unnecessary weight, volume, and integration complexity. Instead, TRL11 selected the SwitchBlox Rugged, a compact board-level Ethernet switch that could be integrated directly into the recorder electronics.

The result was a clean architecture connecting four IP cameras, the Jetson processor, and Launcher Space’s flight computer through a single embedded Ethernet network.

The Results: Built for Space

The SwitchBlox Rugged fit naturally into the recorder electronics, but when you’re talking hardware aboard a spacecraft there’s much more to take into account. Launch introduces intense vibration and shock, while the mission itself demands reliable operation in the presence of radiation and extreme operating conditions.

SwitchBlox Rugged had already demonstrated the ruggedness TRL11 was looking for, with MIL-STD-810H testing, a compact board-level design, and an architecture developed for demanding embedded environments.

The completed system gave TRL11 a compact networking platform capable of supporting both CubeSat deployment recording and Earth-observation imaging throughout the mission.