#SpaceWatchGL Opinion: “Software-defined satellite” – an emerging technology in space industry

by Dennis Silin

The time period “software-defined satellite tv for pc” has already appeared within the area trade and associated media, however for the aim of readability of this text it will likely be outlined as following: as an alternative of viewing a satellite tv for pc as monolithic piece of {hardware} and software program, designed to carry out a selected mission, one can see the identical satellite tv for pc as a platform able to operating a number of completely different missions (outlined as software program purposes) on the identical {hardware} platform. This definition follows the identical strategy as different “software-defined” entities, such “software-defined radio” transceivers that may be reconfigured for quite a lot of RF duties or “software-defined networking” home equipment that may assist wide selection of telecommunications purposes. On this related method, implementing satellite tv for pc missions in software program can provide an a variety of benefits, described intimately additional under.

The first benefit of utilizing “software-defined” options is the chance to reuse one satellite tv for pc for a number of purposes for a number of customers. Whereas the character of purposes is outlined by the devices accessible for the customers, the frequent Earth statement and communications ones, resembling imaging cameras and spectrometers already permit the wide selection of various utilization eventualities.
At present, any occasion that’s enthusiastic about deploying any sort of satellite tv for pc in area, they should go to the multi-step technique of designing the satellite tv for pc itself, discovering launch or mission supplier, constructing or shopping for the required {hardware}, acquiring the regulatory permits and telecom licenses and so forth. Multi-year and multi-decade initiatives are frequent in area trade. However with “software-defined” strategy, deployment of software program code to an current satellite tv for pc may be completed over a single day and operations can start instantly afterwards.
Low value. House trade is likely one of the most capital-intensive space of the worldwide economic system. The expansion of cubesat phase and rising availability of satellite tv for pc knowledge lowered the limitations of entry for small corporations and solo entrepreneurs, however in-space actions stays outdoors the attain of a median software program developer. Utilizing the mannequin the place a number of satellite tv for pc missions can share entry to sources of the one satellite tv for pc and making use of “pay-per-use” billing mannequin to the customers, much more individuals would be capable of afford direct participation in upstream area phase.
In an identical method, entry to area applied sciences is commonly behind the trade or authorities limitations, usually requiring safety clearance or being a citizen of choose few international locations with well-established area company and aerospace trade. By comparability, fashionable software program improvement is much more open and accessible to the worldwide group of programmers. By taking the identical strategy, satellite tv for pc mission improvement and operations can develop into much more accessible and due to this fact permit much more enterprise ideas to be carried out and examined within the surroundings of an actual area mission.
Platform-independence. One other necessary benefit of constructing satellite tv for pc mission software-defined is eradicating dependency on the precise {hardware}. This enables creation of platform-independent, transportable software packages that may be reused on a number of satellite tv for pc platforms, offered there may be sufficient compatibility between the fashions within the household. Such a improvement will mirror historical past of terrestrial computer systems, which advanced from distinctive items that would solely run software program designed for their very own structure to fashionable techniques that assist software program that may run in native, platform-independent and virtualized environments.
Future alternatives. The most important benefit of using “software-defined” strategy to satellite tv for pc improvement would be the hardest one to foretell. The advantages of “software-defined satellites” can go far past the flexibility to reconfigure a single satellite tv for pc for a number of prospects and a number of missions. Opening up a wholly new area for unbiased builders might create the identical growth of latest purposes because the creation of World Extensive Internet or fashionable smartphones. As soon as all of the infrastructure to supply low-cost and low-friction software program deployment on space-based platform shall be in place, the brand new breakthroughs will certainly observe.

Present Developments

Each area businesses and area trade at the moment are realizing some great benefits of “software-defined satellite tv for pc” applied sciences. European House Company has been creating the primary mission of this type since 2012, referred to as OPS-SAT [1]. This 3U cubesat has been efficiently launched in December 2019 as a secondary payload on Soyuz rocket from Kourou spaceport. Known as a “software program laboratory in area”, its mode of operation is actually as outlined above, with a number of customers having the ability to add and run their very own software program purposes on its onboard pc, sharing the satellite tv for pc devices and {hardware} sources.

Industrial area trade even have began to work on making their satellite tv for pc extra “software-defined”. Airbus Protection and House is already creating a software-defined platform for his or her geostationary telecommunications satellites and plans to launch a number of of them within the subsequent years [2]. Lockheed Martin is one other “Previous House” firm which have began their very own “software-defined satellite tv for pc” program, referred to as SmartSat [3]. Their first mission was “Pony Categorical-1” payload experiment on a cubesat launched in January 2020.

Actions on this phase are usually not restricted to the established giants of aerospace trade. A variety of area start-ups in US and UK are additionally working to launch their “software-defined” options, one in every of them being the Exodus Orbitals – the British-Canadian firm based by the creator of this opinion piece. Our firm is counting on OPS-SAT mission to check a few of constructing blocks of a “software-defined satellite tv for pc” know-how, with the purpose of launching commercially accessible platform for area purposes subsequent 12 months.

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Dennis Silin; Picture courtesy of the creator

Dennis Silin is a Canadian entrepreneur and likewise a primary technology immigrant, having come from Ukraine in 2004. He had a protracted and profitable profession as software program developer after commencement from Ryerson College with BSc in Laptop Science, however his true ardour was all the time area exploration. His contributions on this space included taking part in a number of NASA House App hackathons and presenting his paper on interstellar journey at 2011 NASA/DARPA Hundred Yr Starship convention. In 2016 he was lastly in a position to pursue his goals, having first accomplished MSc in Astronautics and House Engineering at Cranfield College after which founding Exodus Orbitals firm, the place he’s working full time as Govt Director.

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