Stellar Apps: On-board Application Framework for Space Missions

Abstract

The necessity for high-performance computing on board space missions persists, and it is anticipated that this demand will continue to expand. This is due in part to the advent of new applications that employ computationally intensive AI-based methods and in part to the development of increasingly powerful sensors that generate large amounts of data. In addition to scientific data processing, the level of onboard autonomy is also increasing. The autonomy required for the overall operation of satellite constellations comprising several hundred to thousands of satellites is significantly greater than that currently in place. Consequently, the spacecraft must be capable of assuming responsibility for health management and responding to anomalies and failures in a timely and effective manner. Furthermore, the high-quality requirements for applications that must not only function correctly on their own but also not affect other applications on the spacecraft present an additional challenge, particularly in the context of the use of parallel and distributed processors. The Stellar Apps project, a German Aerospace Center (DLR) initiative, is developing a secure execution platform for on-board space applications. Such applications are those that process substantial quantities of data or necessitate elevated computing capabilities for the fulfillment of onboard autonomy tasks. It is imperative that the applications be executed in isolation from one another, without any compromise to the functionality of other applications or the integrity of the spacecraft itself. The deployment of applications to spacecraft will be streamlined, facilitating the expeditious testing of early development versions in orbit, a process that is currently not feasible. The Stellar Apps project can be conceived as an "app store," albeit for spacecraft. A further objective is to provide an environment for artificial intelligence that can be readily accessed and utilised by the applications. Furthermore, this should leverage any available hardware acceleration. Stellar Apps is being developed on the foundation of the ScOSA on-board computer system software architecture. This talk will present the architecture of Stellar Apps and show the preliminary design of the software architecture. Additionally, it will discuss the plans for the first in-orbit tests of Stellar Apps, which are scheduled to occur in 2027. These tests will involve a set of relevant applications drawn from domains such as on-board health management, digital twins, and on-orbit servicing.