COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.—Two small satellites developed by Lockheed Martin
[LMT] to demonstrate the use of space for joint all domain command and control (JADC2) were successfully launched into orbit last month and are going through final checkout before demonstrations begin, a company official said on Monday.
The self-funded Pony Express 2 mission will demonstrate several missions, including autonomous collaboration between the satellites using the company’s Hivestar artificial intelligence and machine learning platform to sort out which spacecraft is better positioned to perform a collection task, Jeff Schrader, vice president, Global Situational Awareness at Lockheed Martin Space, told reporters during a briefing at the company’s OneLM Innovation Center here.
Hivestar could also be deployed on a larger constellation of satellites for command and control among the spacecraft, allowing them to autonomously task the appropriate satellite for a collection mission, easing the burden on ground operators, Schrader aid.
The company will also prove out a software algorithm it calls T-TAURI, which detects anomalies in how a satellite is flying and can self-correct or send the information to an operator, Schrader said. T-TAURI can also recognize that a satellite will not be able to perform its mission and send the signal to the other satellite, he said.
Pony Express 2 also includes SmartSat, which Schrader said is “open for business” and is a framework to host third-party applications that can be uploaded after launch and can autonomously “create and prosecute those different tasks.” SmartSat is also on the Tranche 0 Transport Layer satellites that Lockheed Martin supplied to the Space Development Agency (SDA), the company said.
The satellites can fly in formation within two kilometers of each other, he said, adding later that the demonstration will show how they can fly together, which can inform the use of larger satellites for remote proximity operations and docking.
If the government grants permission, one demonstration the company is planning around combined JADC2 is to have an aircraft like the F-35 collect radio frequency data, pass that to a Pony Express 2 satellite, which in turn may be collecting RF data and then sends the data to an Aegis destroyer in the maritime environment to showcase an over-the-horizon connection.
Schrader said the company developed and launched Pony Express 2 on a small budget but with a “significant amount of capability” and wants to do demonstrations with the government, international partners, and others.
The satellites were launched on March 4 as part of SpaceX rideshare mission aboard a Falcon 9 rocket that deployed 53 spacecraft to orbit.
This year, Lockheed Martin is planning to launch another internally funded spacecraft, TacSat, the company’s communications testbed in space that will demonstrate JADC2-related concepts such as connecting sensors to shooters, Paul Koether, director for Tactical Space Programs at Lockheed Martin Space, told reporters.
TacSat will be the first of the company’s satellites with a 5G.MIL payload, which is Lockheed Martin’s effort to bring next-generation wireless connectivity to the battlefield by leveraging industry standards and commercial technologies. Additionally, the spacecraft will include SmartSat to allow uploads of third-party applications, an S-Band antenna, and an infrared sensor from Lockheed’s Missiles and Fire Control segment that will collect data that is sent back to the company for algorithm development, Koether said.
Ultimately, Lockheed Martin wants every satellite to have a 5G standard so the company can sell its 5G.MIL payload, which will generate a profit and help its customers meet their connectivity requirements between different types of satellites and terrestrial and airborne assets, Schrader said.
The satellite busses for Pony Express 2 and TacSat are supplied by Terran Orbital [LLAP], which also supplied the busses for Lockheed Martin’s Tranche 0 that are in orbit for SDA. TacSat is based on the same bus as Tranche 0 and shares the same optical crosslinks and, if SDA permits, Koether said a “broader demonstration” is planned.