The Proof of Concept Grant 966770 LEOpowver has exploited results of the ERC Advanced Investigators Grant 695614 POWVER to arrive at orbit-proof software for the continuous, fully automated, power-optimal and profit maximising dynamic operation of Low Earth Satellite Constellations.
The software solves the pivotal challenge in the software-driven orchestration of satellite constellations, namely the management of the severely limited in-orbit electric power budget.
+ At any point in time a highly accurate power model approximates the actual distribution of the state-of-charge of the on-board batteries very tightly. This enables tracking and extrapolation of the battery state with unprecedented accuracy.
+ Data transfer needs within large satellite constellations induce critical interdependencies between the individual satellites' power budgets. The LEOpowver software determines the optimal data transfer in the form of a contact plan, enabling the constellation-wide best utilisation of resources while provably minimizing battery depletion risks.
+ In-orbit battery measurements are transmitted to ground at the earliest possible moments, where they are fed into a machine learning mechanism rectifying the on-ground models of the satellites, which in turn is the basis for perpetuating the computation of always safe and best-to-follow receding-horizon schedules in a self-adaptive manner. In this way, the quality of the constellation management is continually improved.
The central activities of LEOpowver have been the succesful in-orbit validation of the software on a LEO satellite constellation, together with an in-depth exploration of commercialisation opportunities for the software product. The project has achieved all its objectives.
