Applying New Approaches in Platform Autonomy to Satellite Protection for Defensive Counterspace

Developing a more efficient and capable decision support system for defensive counterspace can be accomplished in part by implementing several core capabilities at the space platform level. Threat detection, identification, and response implemented in autonomy on individual spacecraft allows each member of a constellation to participate in a distributed network, and the use of higher-powered processing on-orbit allows lower level signal fusion (and even higher level fusion with coordinated data exchanged on the space-space link between satellites) to be conducted without the latencies incurred by ground contact opportunities – thus improving space situational awareness. Our current work with AFRL has led to the development of data-centric software techniques and configuration tools that facilitate the rapid assembly of modular spacecraft assets to provide desired operational capability. These capabilities embody the Space Plug&play Avionics (SPA) standards designed to facilitate rapid call-up of tactical space capability. We will extend these tools and develop code and algorithms to implement a satellite “protection agent” to demonstrate the viability of the proposed approach. The core architecture and applicable numeric engines of the demonstrated autonomy framework will be migrated toward higher level fusion and decision support at the space operations center as part of phase II efforts.