In this article, we discuss how the increasing use of software in the space industry is changing how engineers build and operate new technologies.
We review the main stages of a typical mission lifecycle — from assembly, integration, and test (AIT) to launch and mission operations (MissionOps) — to discuss how software tools are helping innovative teams move fast while staying synced.
This article was developed in collaboration with Epsilon3 – a US-based software provider and satsearch Trusted Supplier.
In 2011, Marc Andreessen famously wrote that software is eating the world. But to what extent is this the case for those ambitious companies that think far beyond the world?
In the space industry, more and more decisions, actions, transactions, and value generation are certainly being performed exclusively in software environments. In addition, space end-users often interact with services primarily through online tools and are often unaware of the underlying complexity of the services in use.
However, space missions are still primarily hardware-driven projects, dictated by the extreme operating environment. Most hardware manufacturers in the supply chain don’t act like software companies. They don’t (or can’t) iterate very quickly or take big risks, and instead focus on more rigid development programs planned out months (or years) in advance.
Of course, there’s no one right way to make progress. There’s a spectrum of approaches, from a move fast and break things mentality to the arch-conservative, slow and steady legacy attitude. But in every approach, we observe software gaining greater penetration at virtually all levels of the supply chain.
Therefore, in this still-evolving area, we wanted to find out more about the effects of this trend on the industry and discuss what real space engineers and mission designers should consider in response.
As a result, we produced this article with the software provider and satsearch trusted supplier, Epsilon3. We’ll focus on three key areas of any space mission: AIT, launch, and MissionOps, and then review some critical implementation and deployment considerations for mission-critical software systems.
Software-enabled builds and AIT
One of the leading causes of project delays (and, indeed, project failures) we have witnessed over the years is the extent to which the different phases of a mission’s development are siloed.
A complex space system might undergo multiple stages of planning and design review, development, assembly, integration, testing, and qualification before being ready for launch.
Even the most mature organizations require months of hard work for testing and certification. Emerging space tech companies will dedicate years to bringing novel and/or complex solutions to market.
At each stage, the team will rely on a set of resources, personnel, and processes, internally and externally, that need to be managed effectively. Ensuring seamless information-sharing between the relevant stakeholders in sequential and parallel processes is vital for efficiency, consistency, and traceability.
Poorly organized teams have to spend endless time checking and reviewing project aspects such as:
- Who is in charge of which process?
- Where is the documentation for x, y, and z currently stored?
- What components do we use to build particular sub-systems?
- How do you properly perform tasks a, b, and c? Who can teach our new starters next week?
Being in these situations makes it very difficult to scale (up or down) and adapt to ever-changing requirements, which is increasingly important in this highly complex industry.
In contrast, modern teams are taking a proactive approach to preparing projects for success, digitizing work instructions, and using interoperable software tools to manage resources. This enables better collaboration, traceability, and consistency in every aspect of AIT.
This is a solution that Epsilon3’s software offers, combining a modern Manufacturing Execution System (MES) with Quality Management System (QMS) capabilities. This makes it easy to perform an array of processes needed to build high-quality technology, using a single web-based application that can;
- Plan and track manufacturing processes
- Coordinate engineering and testing iterations
- Control part revisions and inventory
- Receive Purchase Orders (POs)
- Manage the Bill of Materials (BOM)
- Assign lot or serial numbers
- Track Work Orders
- Ensure Quality Assurance (QA)
When implemented correctly, digital process and resource management protocols like these ultimately enable teams to build reliable products more quickly and efficiently by preventing supply chain issues, streamlining complex builds, and maintaining a digital thread by tracking production flows.
Epsilon3 offers these AIT solutions alongside a suite of purpose-built tools built for high-stakes work, including launch, as discussed in the next section.
Digitizing launch procedures
Preparing for launch is a major milestone in any mission. Many projects never make it this far, and it is important to recognize that the work done is both an achievement and is valuable for making the launch go more smoothly.
With the handful of providers in this area, the software tools and procedures required to prepare for launch are similar, although minor differences must be factored in each time. From the mission engineer’s perspective, a robust approach to digital information flow will help make this easier and more efficient.
Again, this starts with digitizing processes and protocols on the mission team’s side so they can be aligned with the launch provider’s requirements. Standardizing what you need to do to qualify for launch will make the whole process much more seamless before you deliver your system.
When changes and adaptations are needed, they can be more easily made with a foundation of accurate digital launch protocols and well-managed resources that the whole team has real-time access to.
In addition, nobody wants a launch delay due to paperwork issues, and this is a key area in which software can significantly speed up the project. Digital documentation built for space missions enables teams to communicate more easily with launch providers and check off those pre-flight boxes.
Once again, in this area, we see that teams that think seriously about standardization and digitization of mission assets have an efficiency advantage.
Also, with new launch providers potentially bringing viable options to the market and changing regulations (due to space traffic and debris, for instance), this domain could get more complex. So, having a firm digital process foundation to adapt to different launch provider requirements will be very valuable—certainly easier than rewriting hundreds of pages of static documents, at least!
Of course, any system used in these stages must be secure to protect both parties (mission team and launch provider) and downstream clients. Epsilon3 has aimed to make security a core strength of its software platform, with robust protection included and a proactive approach to understanding new potential vulnerabilities.
Finally, Epsilon3 offers this solution as a web-based tool with intuitive revision control and real-time synchronization. Ultimately, such approaches will help mission teams avoid running the wrong procedure at the wrong time and reduce the chances of a launch delay or an even worse impact.
As you can see, software plays a very important role in launch preparation. But once this phase is over, the mission has only just begun, and that digital thread needs to now carry through into operations.
Software use in MissionOps
Software has significantly impacted space missions. Spacecraft operations are naturally software-driven, as controlling a satellite or spacecraft in space demands advanced systems engineering work.
This driver has only grown as mission applications have evolved and data rates have dramatically increased. The result is that mission operators are often well-versed in the use of software tools but also more frequently encounter their issues and limitations.
Essentially, there are two main ways in which software has changed how mission operations are performed:
- Enhancing manual processes – making it faster and easier for human operators to understand different spacecraft activities or statuses, determine what action (if any) should be taken, and perform the relevant task.
- Enabling automated processes – replacing manual activities and giving human operators more flexibility and capacity.
In the past, we have written extensively about how these can be achieved in a space mission, in collaboration with Epsilon3, covering all major areas of mission operations.
To summarize, here are some of the core features that Epsilon3 offers, which are designed to improve satellite operations through software:
- The ability to create bespoke pass/fail criteria to evaluate procedures in real-time automatically
- Integrated Telemetry, Tracking & Command (TT&C) information to assess satellite status and location
- Give sign-off permissions to multiple operators, where required, to ensure process continuity
- Easily collect payload status information to resolve problems quickly
- Automatically build a detailed audit log and an associated history of as-runs to create reports as needed
Implementing digital protocols for MissionOps also makes sharing mission updates more efficient. Tools like Epsilon3 allow operators to give clear, concise, and structured details on the latest mission milestones to customers or mission partners (such as space agencies) to ensure all the relevant stakeholders are kept in the loop.
We welcome you to look at the material we have previously published about using software in MissionOps, in collaboration with Epsilon3, at this link.
Now that you understand more about the various ways software affects the culture and practices of space engineers, the following section considers some of the intricacies of how such tools are deployed in projects.
Implementing software in the space industry
Implementing new solutions is very important in any space mission, but it is often difficult and sometimes non-intuitive. Space technologies are so specialized that purchasing and incorporating new options into even very standard missions (if such a definition is possible!) is tough.
This is also true for software. Any decent tool requires interfacing and data exchange with many systems onboard, so interoperability, standards, and compliance are critical to avoid costly development delays.
The way this problem is approached varies significantly between providers, so we asked Epsilon3 how they aim to achieve this with their clients.
We have taken several strategic steps to make it easier for spacecraft manufacturers and operators to purchase and implement Epsilon3, without the data security, regulatory compliance, and procurement concerns that typically hinder digital transformation and the adoption of emerging cloud-based software.
Below are some things our customers in the space industry (in both commercial and government organizations) consistently ask us about during the evaluation process. Even new space startups need to consider these factors if they have, or aim to have, contracts with NASA, ESA, and other government and defense programs, such as the US Department of Defense (DoD) and European Defence Agency (EDA).
Security infrastructure and regulatory compliance standards:
- Hosted on AWS GovCloud for highly secure accessibility and data storage
- AI and LLM tools that never use or share customer data for model training
- NIST 800-171 compliance to protect CUI per CMMC and DFARS 252.204-7012
- ITAR compliance to prevent any unauthorized spread of sensitive defense technologies
- SOC 2 Type II and GDPR compliance to ensure data security and privacy
- Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) and Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) to enable Single Sign-On (SSO)
- Role-based access control and permissions to optimize information and data security
- Capable of deploying on-premise and to international AWS regions
- Protection from data loss with recurring encrypted backups
Inclusion in contract vehicles and solutions marketplaces:
- Carahsoft – Government IT solutions provider and marketplace
- TD SYNNEX Public Sector / DLT – public sector IT solutions provider and marketplace
- U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) Program
- DoD’s Information Technology Enterprise Solutions-Software 2 (ITES-SW 2)
- DoD’s Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office (CDAO) Tradewinds Solutions Marketplace
- NASA Solutions for Enterprise-Wide Procurement (SEWP)
- NASA’s Vendor Database (NVDB)
Adhering to these standards and procurement channels demonstrates the time and resources Epsilon3 has invested in developing a reliable, scalable, secure, and compliant software solution for its customers.
Conclusion
Every year, space engineering becomes more of a software-first discipline. Of course, missions are (mainly) about building, launching, and operating hardware in orbit; however, the vast array of processes and resources involved are much more powerful and efficient when digitized.
As this article has shown, successfully deploying and integrating a software tool in any space project requires considerable nuance. The team’s ability and willingness to digitize work processes and collaborate with resources in a software environment will vary from mission to mission.
However, as the industry grows, the benefits of doing so are becoming increasingly clear to more organizations, from increasing efficiency to opening up entirely new project opportunities and levels of operating flexibility.
Epsilon3 is one of the leading providers of these solutions in the global space industry, and the team would be very happy to discuss your project with you today.
Click here to find out more about their capabilities and get in touch now.