Demo: Onboard Re-scheduling Prototype for an Earth Observing Spacecraft

Prior space missions have not routinely used onboard decision-making. The Autonomous Sciencecraft (ASE), flying onboard the Earth Observing One spacecraft, has been flying autonomous agent software for the last decade that enables it to analyze acquired imagery on board and use that analysis to determine future imaging. However ASE takes approximately one hour to analyze and respond. This paper describes the Earth Observing Autonomy (EOA) project to increase the responsiveness of spacecraft flight software for onboard decision-making as well as to increase the capabilities such flight software. Specifically, we target onboard Image analysis and response within a single orbital overflight at low Earth orbit (about eight minutes). We demonstrate prototype flight software that simulates acquisition of imagery, onboard spectral analysis of the imagery, replanning of imaging to include reimaging of detected phenomenon, and then execution of this response imagery-all within this eight minute single overflight including the spacecraft response time (e.g. To re-point the spacecraft, acquire the image, etc.). We demonstrate generated videos of the simulation of the spacecraft operations