Development of an API-based monitoring and control interface for hardware fully representative of Galileo Second Generation signals

The transition toward the Galileo Second Generation marks a shift to software-defined satellite payloads, requiring highly flexible and complex ground-segment validation environments. To verify signal integrity and radio compatibility between legacy G1 and new G2G modulations across the E1, E5 and E6 bands, a dedicated real-time hardware emulator of the satellite signal generation is essential. This master’s thesis, conducted at Airbus Defence and Space in Rome, focuses on the design and implementation of a specialised Application Programming Interface (API) for the control and monitoring of the L-Band Suitcase (LBS), a high-fidelity testbed used for G2G signal verification. The main objective was to integrate diverse commercial off-the-shelf and custom hardware components into a single software-controlled environment. The research involved the definition and implementation of the communication protocol between the API and an external Man-Machine Interface (MMI) acting as the LBS client. Although the final MMI is being developed by a separate Airbus entity, an internal GUI provided by a senior engineer within the company was exploited to validate the API’s functionality and ensure proper hardware coordination. A key technical task was to devise a logic layer capable of translating high-level macro-commands from the client into discrete micro-commands for hardware configuration and status monitoring. In addition to software development, the work included the generation of an operational logging system, guaranteeing full traceability of all activities and a significant contribution to technical documentation. The API’s reliability was confirmed through integration tests, proving successful control over all hardware components and the stable transmission of multi-band signal profiles. These results provide a solid basis for further validation which will involve extensive signal-level tests and new scenarios to address increasingly complex waveforms.