Space Tech: Transforming Satellite Launch into Orbit via Blockchain Platform
A new space age is dawning. Space is no longer confined to government and military agencies like NASA and its contractors, but expanding rapidly via private/commercial companies like SpaceX, Blue Origin, Cloud Constellation Corporation and more. It’s a much wider field now. This entrepreneurial space age will change the course of human history.
The technological advances by the private/commercial sector is challenging the traditional historic Space practices and models by reusing rockets, building efficient spacecrafts, performing cheaper launches with ride-share opportunities and smaller satellites. Launches delivering satellites into Earth’s orbit provide a wide range of services from earth observation (like Landsat 8), weather predictions on Earth (like GOES -17), Space weather (like Solar Dynamics Observatory), and satellite internet constellations (like Starlink). With the emergence of the commercial sector, each of these verticals like launch providers, such as SpaceX, launch services, ground terminals, satellite manufacturers, satellite operators, and satellite service providers will have a role to play.
To make it even more interesting, NASA’s announcement of returning back to the Moon has sparked renewed interest, as evident from the rapid growth in the Space tech landscape. With discussions of asteroid mining, Mars colonization and return trips to the Moon in addition to other scientific explorations, one can say, “The Space Gold Rush is on”.
The revenue generated by the global space industry may increase to $1.1 trillion or more by 2040. Currently, the cost to launch a satellite has declined to about $60 million, from $200 million, via reusable rockets, with a potential drop to as low as $5 million. And satellite mass production could decrease that cost from $500 million per satellite to $500,000. — Morgan Stanley
Some of the recent key announcements around Space Industry …
Vice President Mike Pence, speaking at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, March 26, directed NASA to land humans on the moon by 2024, four years earlier than the agency’s current plans.
Blue Origin, “This vehicle is going to the moon,” Bezos declared, showing off a giant, spidery ship reminiscent of the Apollo era’s lunar module, only sleeker and cooler and way, way bluer. “I love Vice President Pence’s 2024 lunar landing goal. We can help meet that timeline but only because we started three years ago.” “It’s time to go back to the moon. This time to stay.”
SpaceX, to Launch 60 Satellites for Starlink Megaconstellation. SpaceX designed Starlink to connect end users with low latency, high bandwidth broadband services by providing continual coverage around the world using a network of thousands of satellites in low Earth orbit.
At IBM, we have a long history of working with NASA on space exploration missions and in Space Industry in general.
50 years ago, IBM created a mainframe that helped send men to the Moon. The Apollo Missions: Landing the first two astronauts on the Moon in July of 1969 ranks as one of the great engineering achievements in human history
Few years back, IBM partnered with the German space agency, DLR, and Airbus to send an actual astronaut assistant powered by Watson AI to ISS (International Space Station); a project called Crew Interactive MObile CompanioN (CIMON)
IBM and Cloud Constellation Corporation are working together to build a range of prototype solutions from Edge Computing in Space to how Blockchain can optimize the Logistics and Supply Chain for the Space Tech industry.
Satellite service provider, Cloud Constellation, a US based company, is focused on deploying SpaceBelt Data Security as a Service (DSaaS, 10 Satellites) in LEO (lower Earth orbit) to provide combined secure global connectivity with Cloud Data Storage in space.
Cloud Constellation selects LeoStella to build 10 data-storage satellites — SpaceNews.com
Let’s look at this real world use case, where Cloud Constellation has partnered with LeoStella to build their satellites for them. This satellite manufacturer (LeoStella) will work with its suppliers and subsystem contractors to build their satellites. Ten satellites will be designed, manufactured, integrated, and tested at LeoStella. A launch service provider and launch site will be selected by Cloud Constellation, and the satellites will be transported to a launch vehicle for final integration. The launch service provider launches the space vehicle carrying the satellites and once they are delivered into orbit, the controls are handed to the Cloud Constellation’s satellite operations center. Additionally, the regulatory authorities such as FAA, FCC, US State/Commerce Department, as well the Insurance companies are all part of this ecosystem. Now, one can only imagine the complexity behind the logistics among all these parties working together to get the SpaceBelt into orbit.
To deal with the above complexities such as contracts, order tracking, parts assembly, shipments, design and test documents, test results data, real-time data, workflows for approvals, auditing, launch and control, we need Blockchain!!
In a nutshell, Blockchain is a shared, replicated, decentralized ledger system, where transactions are stored in an immutable data store, providing trust, traceability and transparency to all the participants
Some of the key concepts in Blockchain are the Networks, Participants, Channels, Assets, Smart Contracts and Transactions.
In this use case above:
- Networks (consortium of participants, peer-to-peer network)
- Participants (Satellite Service Provider, Satellite Manufacturer, Suppliers, Launch Service Provider, Mission Control Center and Satellite Operations Center)
- Channels (access control, allows isolation of transactions between different Participants)
- Assets (data structures, such as Satellite Parts, Documents etc.)
- Smart Contracts (Algorithms, Business Logic) and
- Transactions (Invocations of Algorithms)
Let’s take a look at this solution, which we have built using IBM Blockchain Platform
Solution Setup and Config
- First of all, a Business Network is created among the following participants: Satellite Service Provider (Cloud Constellation), Satellite Manufacturer (LeoStella) and its Suppliers and Subsystem Contractors, Launch Service Provider, Missions Control Center, Satellite Operations Center, Regulatory Authorities (FAA, FCC, Export Controls), Insurance Company and Launch Data access for 3rd parties research purposes, sort of a consortium. Each of the participants get a node which has a copy of ledger and smart contracts
- Channels are created between the participants. In this case, the Satellite Manufacturer can also create separate channels among its suppliers and subsystem contractors
- Assets such as parts and subsystems are defined
- Smart contracts are created. For instance, when the Subsystem Contractor captures a failure during integration testing, the contract rejects the further steps until the failures are corrected
Satellite Launch Solution
- Cloud Constellation signs a manufacturing e-contract with a Satellite Manufacturer (Leo Stella)
- Satellite Manufacturer signs further contracts with Suppliers and Subsystems Contractors
- Procurement of parts from Suppliers, design and testing done by Subsystem Contractors and documents are generated
- Satellite Manufacturer (Leo Stella) assembles and ships satellites to Launch Services Provider
- Launch Services Provider (SpaceX) integrates satellites on the launch vehicle and hands it over to Mission Control
- Furthermore a Smart Contract is in place to check on pre-launch conditions such as Weather. In the case high winds, the launch will be aborted
- Once all satellites are placed in the approved orbit, Satellite Operations Center (CCC) take over its regular operations
- Channels are defined among the participants
- - Regulator authorities (FAA, FCC, Export Control) can interject at any point during this project and raise a flag
- - Insurance company has access to certain data
- Launch data is made accessible via APIs for research institutions, and all interactions such as data download are tracked
- All of the above activity is logged in the form of transactions in an immutable ledger database for auditing purposes to all the authorized, interested participants
This digitized data can be monetized and help improve future satellite launches both for commercial providers as well as for researchers. This data can be augmented further by Machine and Deep learning techniques.
Blockchain helps build trust between the participants, reduce risk of tampering, reduce costs, accelerate the processes and transactions, and ultimately shorten time to market. More importantly it will help to make it safer for us to go back to Moon, Mars and beyond into deeper space one day!
Special thanks to Dennis Gatens (Chief Commercial Officer) and Jeff Snyder (Chief Technology Officer) from Cloud Constellation Corporation Team
Blockchain helps build trust between the participants, reduce risk of tampering, reduce costs, accelerate the processes and transactions, and ultimately shorten time to market. More importantly it will help to make it safer for us to go back to Moon, Mars and beyond into deeper space one day!
Xinlin Wang
Rich Miller
Duncan Johnston-Watt