Embedded software design for the MightySat II.1 FTHSI payload - Lessons learned

Understanding computer environment constraints and overcoming environmental challenges are critical to the success of any software development effort. They are even more critical when the target environment is an embedded system, because embedded systems tend to have more unique constraints and challenges. This lesson was brought home in several ways during development of the onboard processing software for the Fourier-Transform Hyperspectral Imager (FTHSI) payload onboard Mighty Sat II. 1. The developers had to overcome (or in some cases work around) differences between the development/testing platform (a PC with a vendor-supplied cross-compiler) and the execution platform, as well as constraints imposed by the spacecraft components with which the software interacts. These experiences convinced the developers that successful embedded software development depends on acknowledging the importance of these constraints and challenges. They cannot be relegated to the role of "add-ons" or "considerations" to the traditional software process.