An Hardware Implementation of a Novel Algorithm For Onboard Compression of Multispectral and Hyperspectral Images

New multispectral and hyperspectral instruments are going to generate very high data rates due to the increased spatial and spectral resolution. In this context, the compression is a very important part of any onboard data processing system for Earth observation and astronomical missions. More recently, lossless compression has started to be routinely used for spaceborne Earth observation satellites. The CCSDS has established a working group (WG) on Multispectral and Hyperspectral Data Compression (MHDC), which has the purpose of standardizing compression techniques to be used onboard. The WG has already standardized a lossless compression algorithm for multispectral and hyperspectral images, and has started working on a lossy compression algorithm. Under an ESA contract, aimed to investigate new techniques for Lossy multi/hyperspectral compression for very high data rate instruments (HYDRA), TSD in collaboration with Politecnico of Torino, designed an IP core for FPGA and/or ASIC implementation of a lossy compression algorithm. In addition to the IP core, TSD developed a HW platform based on the Xilinx Virtex-5 XQR5VFX130, the industry's first high performance rad-hard reconfigurable FPGA for processing-intensive for space systems. Advanced results along with details of electronic platform design will be presented in this paper.