Hybrid-Architecture Laboratory Operational Environment (HALOE)

National Command Authority (NCA) is responsible for making strategic, confident decisions based on reliable data necessary to successfully orchestrate combatant command intention and the domain warfighter’s (Space, Air, Maritime, Land, and Cyber) tactical actions. In today’s competitive environment, these decision makers are not properly equipped to provide timely and accurate actions to domain warfighters because the process is not fully optimized to the current/emerging threat environment. In the Space Domain, the USAF Space Missile Command (SMC), DARPA, and the Space Development Agency (SDA) have all identified Hybrid Architectures and Mesh Networks as the next generation capabilities required to equip the NCA in executing Multi-Domain operations and ensure US warfighters maintain their competitive advantage.  AFRL/RVEN Small Satellite Portfolio (SSP) Hybrid Architecture Demonstrations (HAD) program has been charged with identifying and progressing government and commercial solutions that promote Hybrid Architectures and Mesh Network functionality. Specifically, AFRL/RVEN SSP HAD has a national defense-related mission need in the area of tactical Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance. There is a need to observe, control, and assess activities of interest on tactically relevant timelines to support multi-domain operations, which is enabled by sensors, C2, and tactical data links. HAD is seeking a configurable demonstration environment that provides measurable feedback of the relationship between inter-connectivity of the space segment with the operations segment as part of the space system acquisition process.  Oakman Aerospace, Inc. (OAI) is proposing design and development of the Hybrid Architecture Laboratory Operational Environment (HALOE) via AFWERx Direct to Phase II Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR). OAI will design, develop, integrate and test HALOE utilizing its main commercial product line: Advanced Configurable Open System Research Network (ACORN). OAI has built and developed ACORN as a powerful framework suited for advanced space mission engineering, and has demonstrated ACORN’s functionality through the execution of multiple ACORN-centric government programs. ACORN is a MOSA-compliant environment, making it flexible, extensible, and agnostic to space systems architecture. ACORN utilizes proprietary “Bridge” applications to integrate disparate messaging systems into a common architecture utilizing are a configurable abstraction layer that allow for efficient integration of sub-systems, systems, and/or entire segments with little impact on the rest of the architecture. The ACORN architecture is hardware and software-agnostic and provides simulation from software-only scenarios through full hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) capability. ACORN can utilize any messaging layer (SSM, AMQ, MQTT, ROS). ACORN has evolved into an architectural framework, specializing in the integration of multiple systems into a common environment.