Knowledge beyond our planet: space-based data centres
Space is changing, and the number of actors operating in orbit is increasing. Meanwhile, the amount of data collected by satellites is increasing as well. This data-treasure is priceless, supporting human and robotic exploration of space, helping us to take care of our planet as well as to unveil the most distant secrets of the Universe. However, one of the main challenges of nowadays space activities is downloading data from space to Earth. IBM and KP Labs together with ESA is forecasting the future of technology by imagining space-based data centres.
To embrace the future, ESA recently funded though the Discovery element of the Agency’s Basic Activities a project about space-based data centres. A team from ESA, KP Labs and IBM explored this futuristic and innovative idea imaging a new space future.
Collecting data from space is a key ingredient of space activities, allowing scientists to go beyond the limits of our knowledge. So far, data are collected onboard satellites and then aw-data are transmitted to the ground, where all the processing are done to unveil new insights. However, data-transport is challenging, and mitigate such obstacles would improve our space capabilities.
In the meantime, the power of data-processing units in commercial applications, such as hardware components and image processing, is increasing. Would it be possible to deploy such new technologies on-board satellites in the near future? If so, would they be helpful to mitigate data-transport challenges?
At some point in the future, massive computing and artificial intelligence will be the key ingredients of satellite space ecosystem, and downloading raw-data will be less convenient than processing data in space and sending down to Earth only the final results.
"It has been a visionary project," says Nicolas Longépé, ESA Earth Observation Data Scientist and ESA lead of the project. "We tried to predict how technology will be in 10 years to make space data centres reality."
Beyond the limits with a visionary idea
Satellite information is not given in real-time to the final-user on Earth because of the latency – the time which passes when sending data down to the surface of the planet. "However, to respond to a natural event, a fast response is important, so we need to reduce this time," says Nicolas.
Open Image
Mitigating data-transport challenges and reducing the lag can be done with space based data centres. Satellites will continue gathering information in space, but instead of sending raw-data down to the Earth, they will send them to other satellites working as data centres, where data are processed and only final relevant insights are sent down to Earth.
Technology forecast for tomorrow
Space-based data centres could become a reality in approximately a decade or two. However, it raises the question, how will technology evolve in the next 10 years? This was one the main challenges the team had to tackle. Just consider your everyday life 20 years ago. Would you have been able to image that in two decades, your phone would be able to record high-quality videos that could be swiftly and effortlessly shared online with individuals across the globe?
Satellites still have quite limited processing capabilities. "There are many constraints," explains Nicolas, "satellites have to be small, compatible with radiation, and thermal dissipation, or with power constraints" The team had to imagine how to incorporate the right kind of the technologies to have the most powerful capabilities to process data onboard Space Data Center.
"This is the tricky part of the project," says Nicolas, "we had to forecast the technologies we will have in ten years and that could be involved in such a space-based centres."
Three space scenarios
To dive into such a visionary idea, the team explored three different scenarios. The first scenario involves two satellites in the same orbit, where one is collecting data and the other one acts as a space data centre. A small satellite could, for instance, monitor wildfires on Earth, and send data to a larger satellite which preprocess these data identifying potential wildfires. The latter could then acquire more detailed information about the wildfire candidates, and if relevant send the information to the ground through a network of other space data centres. Even it seems quite complicated, this process would improve the quality of Earth observations applications.
Secondly, the team considered a quite generic use case: an observing satellite in Low Earth orbit, passing data to a geostationary space data centre. This takes advantage of the uninterrupted ground-station connectivity of geostationary SDC relay station. And lastly, a lunar lander used as a space data centre. In this case, data collected by exploration rovers are processed and stored on the lander, which sends only key-findings to Earth through a relay-satellite in orbit.
A changing space ecosystem
The team wanted to understand the technical and economical challenges of space based data centres and identify the required key-technologies. They developed a simulation tool to evaluate progression over time, accounting future technological advancements and adjusting the tool to different needs. The simulations clearly highlighted the potential of processing and storing data in space. "This is quite exciting, and this visionary and innovative mood is part of the ESA approach. It will be even more exciting to see if and how space based data centres will become reality," concludes Nicolas.
