Space Domain Task force

OMG Groups

The Space DTF's goal is to provide a transparent, space-standards development environment that is open to all participants. Inquiring how you can get involved is one small step for you, and one giant leap for your organization.

The space sector is set to really take off this decade. Innovation is accelerating deployment of technological capability above the Earth for those on it. According to a recent study, the combination of reuse, improved engineering, and increased volume have decreased launch costs by 95%. There has never been a more optimal window of time for entry into this sector by individual and commercial investors. As a result, some estimate the market could grow to $1 trillion by 2030, while active satellites could triple due to improved cost performance. Satellite connectivity will undoubtedly increase informational accessibility, social interaction, public health, and beyond worldwide. Advanced data processing and analytics on the ground are constantly providing new insight into data collected of our planet from space so we can be more proactive here. Space industry professionals are calling for greater interoperability, reduction in costs, risk, and schedule for applications via increased standardization.

Mission:

  • Clarify ground, satellite, and space systems requirements
  • Continue to encourage space industry member participation
  • Encourage development and use of standards based ground, satellite and space system domain software components
  • Encourage UML use to describe standard distributed systems architectures

Notable Deliverables:

  • Command & Control Message Specification (C2MS): Establishes format specifications to allow for common data exchange interfaces for integrating satellite mission ground data system products from multiple vendors and system developers. The formats may be of benefit for system-internal interface definitions and for communications between systems.
  • CubeSat System Reference Model Profile (CSRM): Defines the necessary stereotypes (extends SysML) for logical CubeSat space-ground architectures, which is intended to promote consistency and interoperability of logical CubeSat space/ground architectures models.
  • Ground Equipment Monitoring Service (GEMS): Defines a lightweight and intuitive interface model suitable for control and status of nearly all types of devices within space related ground systems.
  • Satellites Operation Language Metamodel (SOLM): Defines a metamodel to represent spacecraft operations procedures, which contain sequences of instructions to conduct spacecraft operations (typically, spacecraft commands and telemetry comparisons). These procedures may also include the configuration of ground equipment, configuration of spacecraft test equipment, execution of ground testing, and execution of in-orbit testing.
  • XML Telemetric & Command Exchange (XTCE): Addresses the need for a standardized information model capable of supporting Telemetry/Telecommand (TM/TC) definitions across the widest possible range of space domain activities. The goal is to allow TM/TC definitions to be exchanged between different organizations and systems, often at the boundaries of mission phases, without the need for customized import/export, re-validation, or even re-implementation of mission databases.
  • XTCE Profile for US Government Satellites (XUSP): Addresses the need for a subset of XTCE 1.1 called GovSat for United States (U.S.) missions that are CCSDS compliant.

Work in Progress:

  • Ground Data Delivery Interface (GDDI) RFP: Space vehicle operations require varying compositions of ground applications that are integrated together within a common network (WAN and/or LAN) to provide an end-to-end ground system capability. This includes real time data and metadata transfer across these applications. Typical data includes spacecraft bus commands, telemetry, and mission payload in digital/baseband form. Metadata is carried in-band with the data and includes parameterized information and real-time status used by the ground applications to properly process, store, retrieve, and deliver the data. No common model for this dynamic data/metadata interface currently exists. Approaches, designs, and custom protocols vary widely from one vendor to another offering little opportunity for reuse to system integrators. The result is often a costly and time-consuming integration effort. This RFP solicits proposals for the following: 1) A Platform-Independent Model describing a lightweight application-level message interface that encapsulates spacecraft data and metadata so they can be transferred between ground applications within a common network. 2) At least one Platform-Specific Model describing the encoding format of the metadata and data encapsulated by this interface. This platform specific model will call out at least one standard transport layer for carrying the encapsulated/encoded metadata and data, with the intent of reusing an existing transport that provides high throughput, low latency, and optionally secure transmission.

Get Involved:

If you're an OMG member, have a member account, and want to get involved, you can Subscribe to The Space DTF Mailing List to receive frequent group email updates and/or contact [email protected]. If you don't know if your organization is already a member, check the OMG Member ListRequest An Account, and follow the prior steps, if your organization is a member, to get engaged. If not a member and interested in getting involved please visit our Membership Overview Webpage and/or contact [email protected].