Adaptable Space Vehicle Payload Interface

A method for operating a space vehicle payload interface, comprising:

• receiving power from a space vehicle through an input power connector;
• converting the received power to a plurality of output voltages using one or more DC-DC power converters;
• identifying peripherals connected to a plurality of peripheral connectors;
• loading an FPGA design to a field-programmable gate array based on the identified peripherals;
• executing a programmed sequence to control the connected peripherals;
• and
• transmitting data from the connected peripherals to the space vehicle through a network port.

A space vehicle payload system, comprising:

• a vehicle adaptor configured to interface with a space vehicle;
• a universal cable connected to the vehicle adaptor;
• and
• an onboard computer connected to the universal cable, the onboard computer including:
• a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) and one or more processors;
• a network port configured to provide data connectivity to the space vehicle through the vehicle adaptor;
• an input power connector configured to receive power from the space vehicle through the vehicle adaptor;
• one or more DC-DC power converters configured to convert input power to a plurality of output voltages;
• a plurality of peripheral connectors configured to connect to peripherals;
• and
• memory coupled to the onboard computer;
• wherein the vehicle adaptor is interchangeable to accommodate different space vehicle types.