A Flight-Ready Software Platform for Deploying Science Autonomy Onboard Spacecraft

Spacecraft exploring Earth and other bodies in the solar system are producing increasingly large and complex volumes of scientific data. Recently, the field of science autonomy has begun to develop data analysis algorithms to select, prioritize, and characterize science instrument data directly onboard the spacecraft. These data-derived insights can then inform downstream autonomous decisions like data prioritization to mitigate data bandwidth constraints. However, science autonomy development has largely focused on bespoke, instrument-specific algorithms; there are no generalized platforms for sharing reusable utilities or centralizing the operation of multiple science autonomy algorithms. To accelerate future development of flight-ready science autonomy, we developed a software package called Science Yield Improvement via Onboard Prioritization and Summary of Information System (SYNOPSIS). SYNOPSIS manages the execution of one or more science autonomy algorithms, stores their outputs in a centralized database, and prioritizes data even across multiple instruments. We simulated the use of SYNOPSIS with science autonomy algorithms to analyze and prioritize data collected by the Curiosity rover on Mars and integrated it into two popular flight software packages — core Flight System (cFS) and F-Prime — to ease infusion of future science autonomy algorithms. As opportunities for onboard data analysis grow with the volume and complexity of data, we expect that platform technologies like SYNOPSIS will facilitate future exploration of our solar system.