Advanced Middleware for Space Plug-and-play Avionics (SPA) Architecture Standardization and Rapid Systems Integration

The Space Plug-and-play Avionics (SPA) architecture is the foundation of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) initiative. The ORS mission reflects the need to provide our warfighters, battlefield commanders, and first responders with reliable communications and real-time situational awareness. Driven by operational requirements, the ability to rapidly and economically manufacture, assemble, and launch custom satellite configurations is essential. The most viable solution for delivering the software required to solve this problem is for all approved DoD vendors to have equal access to software middleware that possesses the characteristics to establish a standard for Plug-and-Play (PnP) for the broadest range of transducers (sensors and actuators) and third party algorithms (heritage and future flight systems software and mission control processes). This middleware must support all ORS goals to include fault tolerance, computing topology independence, common data understanding, network topology independence, operating system independence, autonomous processing, and automation of PnP processes for hardware and software sub-components. A middleware candidate will be presented that has the potential to (1) establish industry wide standardization, (2) accelerate satellite system integration, (3) increase reliability and survivability of satellites, and (4) measurably support ORS goals in a cost effective fashion