CPS: Frontier: Software-Defined Nanosatellite Constellations: The Foundation of Future Space-Based Cyber-physical Systems

随着发射服务的激增和卫星变得小型、廉价和强大，网络物理系统进入太空的范围正在呈指数级增长。 与过去昂贵的卫星不同，不久的将来有望出现数千颗廉价纳米卫星的星座。 纳米卫星正在成为支持天基网络物理应用的能力，包括国防，智能城市，农业，基础设施，气候科学和搜索救援。 不幸的是，今天的超小型卫星的运行方式与过去的单体卫星一样，人工操作成本高，阻碍了超小型卫星在这些重要的网络物理系统应用方面的潜力的实现。该项目设想为超小型卫星星座中的天基网络物理系统建立一种新的运行模式，称为“软件定义的超小型卫星星座”，这将释放超小型卫星的潜力。 软件定义的星座是一组能够自主感知环境、处理数据、合作规划和采取机械行动的纳米卫星。 该项目通过跨计算机系统、控制、规划、驱动、机器学习和通信的跨领域网络物理系统研究来实现这一愿景。 该项目将最终推出一个软件定义星座测试平台，实现几个天基应用，展示这些社会重要的能力和应用，并作为其他网络物理系统研究人员的宝贵资源。该CPS Frontier项目正在建立纳米卫星星座，作为天基网络物理系统应用的复杂，多租户平台。 这项工作是跨学科的，涵盖了控制、机器学习、通信、系统和硬件。该项目使星座能够自主运行，并能够在轨道上进行有效的计算。 在轨计算将星座级卫星控制和驱动视为独特的纳米卫星资源的资源管理：传感器数据，带宽，能量和计算。 在轨机器学习技术将联邦学习带入星座，创建一个自主轨道学习系统。 该项目的新通信技术从每一位通信中提取最大信息，结合微弱信号，通常完全避免通信。该项目通过在轨基础设施和测试平台展示了该项目的价值，这些基础设施和测试平台为未来的天基网络物理系统研究提供了一个开放平台。 该项目将对网络物理和空间系统社区内外的社会，工业和教育产生广泛的变革性影响。 软件定义的纳米卫星星座创建了一个具有成本效益的天基应用行业。 该项目消除了空间障碍，使工业界能够开发天基应用。 该项目围绕天基网络物理系统创建了一个新的研究领域，以促进研究和教育。 该项目包括从中学到研究生的雄心勃勃的教育活动。 该项目小组将通过空间系统研究实习对城市公立学校的初中生和高中生进行辅导。 项目小组将让本科生和研究生参与研究指导和新课程。 该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The reach of cyber-physical systems into space is growing exponentially, as launch services proliferate and satellites have become small, cheap, and capable. Unlike expensive satellites of the past, the near future promises constellations of thousands of inexpensive nanosatellites. Nanosatellites are becoming capable of supporting space-based cyber-physical applications, including defense, smart cities, agriculture, & infrastructure, climate science, and search & rescue. Unfortunately, nanosatellites today operate like monolithic satellites of the past, manually operated at high cost, impeding the realization of the potential of nanosatellites for these important cyber-physical systems applications. This project envisions a new operating model for space-based cyber-physical systems in nanosatellite constellations called a "software-defined nanosatellite constellation", which unleashes their potential. A software-defined constellation is a collection of nanosatellites capable of autonomously sensing the environment, processing data, and cooperatively planning and taking mechanical actions. The project realizes this vision through cross-cutting cyber-physical systems research spanning computer systems, control, planning, actuation, machine learning, and communications. This project will culminate in the launch of a software-defined constellation testbed that implements several space-based applications, demonstrating these societally important capabilities and applications, and functioning as a valuable resource for other cyber-physical systems researchers.This CPS Frontier project is establishing nanosatellite constellations as sophisticated, multi-tenant platforms for space-based cyber-physical systems applications. The work is interdisciplinary, spanning controls, ML, communications, systems, and hardware. The project makes constellations autonomous and equipped to compute efficiently on orbit. On-orbit computing treats constellation-level satellite control and actuation as resource management for unique nanosatellite resources: sensor data, bandwidth, energy, and computing. On-orbit machine learning techniques bring federated learning to the constellation, creating an autonomous orbital learning system. The project’s new communication techniques extract maximum information from each bit communicated, combining weak signals and often avoiding communication altogether. The project demonstrates the project’s value with on-orbit infrastructure and testbeds that form an open platform for future space-based cyber-physical systems research. The project will have a broad, transformative impact on society, industry, and education, within and beyond the cyber-physical and space systems communities. Software-defined nanosatellite constellations create an industry of cost-effective space-based applications. The project eliminates barriers to space, enabling industry to develop space-based applications. The project creates a new field of research around space-based cyber-physical systems fostering research and education. This project includes ambitious education activities from middle school to post-graduate levels. The project team will mentor middle schoolers and high schoolers from urban public schools through space systems research internships. The project team will involve undergraduates and graduate students in research mentoring and new curricula. The proposed outreach activities will engage society broadly via artist-in-residence programs, research community-building, and public/academic/private partnerships.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.