Command and data management system (CDMS) of the Philae lander

The paper covers the principal requirements, design concepts and implementation of the hardware and software for the central on-board computer (CDMS) of the Philae lander in the context of the ESA Rosetta space mission, including some technical details. The focus is on the implementation of fault tolerance, autonomous operation and operational flexibility by means of specific linked data structures and code execution mechanisms that can be interpreted as a kind of object oriented model for mission sequencing. •Philae had to work under extremely harsh environmental conditions on the comet.•Fault tolerance on system level was managed by an intelligent, self-repairing core.•We defined an object oriented model for mission sequencing.•We introduced a specific patch-working technique to facilitate on-board autonomy.•Solar power flow management was of particular relevance for doing science on long term.