LynuxWorks to provide safety-critical platform for Galileo

LynuxWorks an USA based provider of embedded software, announced that it has been selected to provide the real-time operating system (RTOS) for the European Space Agency's Galileo project, a civilian-controlled global navigation system. This validates LynuxWorks' unique approach to safety-critical systems and builds on the company's two decades of innovation and leadership in embedded and real-time technologies. As part of the core element of the Galileo system, LynxOS-178, the first and only commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) RTOS to receive Reusable Software Component (RSC) acceptance for reusability from the FAA for DO-178B certification, will provide enhanced capabilities for communications across various devices and operating systems both on the ground and in space.

The European Galileo global navigation satellite system is designed to provide an unprecedented degree of accuracy (determining location down to the meter) and not only will have guaranteed availability, but also will be compatible with the world's other two positioning systems, GPS and Russia's GLONASS. Galileo will be used for location-based services, as well as in situations where safety is critical, such as running trains and landing airplanes, and in search and rescue operations.

LynxOS-178 will be used in the critical Galileo Mission Segments (GMS), which lies at the heart of the system. The GMS is a network of Earth-based stations that monitor signals from the satellites and transmit navigation data to the satellites. LynxOS-178 offers unmatched openness in development platforms for safety-critical systems, offering support for both Pentium and PowerPC processors, both of which will be used in the overall Galileo project. LynxOS-178 showcases LynuxWorks' long-standing commitment to broad support of open and industry standards, including POSIX compliance, ARINC 653 conformance and full support for C++ applications.

LynxOS-178 is designed specifically to fulfill the stringent needs of multithread and multiprocess applications in safety-critical real-time systems. The military and aerospace industry mandates rigorous testing and certification for safety-critical computing. In the United States and Europe these are expressed in the RTCA/DO-178B, RTCA/DO-278 and EUROCAE ED-12B guidance documents for the production of software for airborne and ground systems.

LynxOS-178 fully satisfies all the objectives of the highest levels of these guidance documents, providing a low-risk path to software certification for developers of software for safety-critical airborne and ground systems. The availability of LynxOS-178 allows developers to leverage software and artifacts that have been certified previously. In the end, LynxOS-178 provides high value to developers by enabling the rapid time-to-market delivery of safety-critical applications.

Source: www.location.net.in/news