Flexible autonomous decentralized technology for heterogeneous requirements from reusable launch vehicle

In many space development programs, reusable launch vehicle (RLV) concepts are focused on, to improve reliability and reduce the operational cost. The avionic systems of RLV must meet fault tolerance and real-time requirements. These requirements must be satisfied simultaneously in various situations. Moreover, system configurations may be changed because of the goal of the maintenance. Therefore, flexibility is also required. These heterogeneous requirements are difficult to satisfy with conventional technologies, which usually apply specified hardware or software components. Hence, the new system technology, "flexible autonomous decentralized technology for heterogeneous requirements (FATHER)" is proposed. FATHER satisfies heterogeneous requirements with a single simple and common software structure, which is based on the data field architecture. FATHER is effective not only for RLV, but also for other systems, such as traffic systems and huge plant systems with heterogeneous requirements.