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AUTONOMOUS PLANNING SYSTEM

Orchestrate Constellations Without Ground Control

Autonomous mission planning that orchestrates constellation-scale operations without ground control, using event-driven agents that make decisions in real-time.

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THE PROBLEM

Ground-Based Control Can’t Manage Constellation-Scale Missions

01

Ground comms are too slow for time-sensitive opportunities.

02

Manual planning cannot coordinate satellites at scale.

03

Static plans break the moment conditions change.

THE SOLUTION

APS Is A TRL-8 Software Solution Designed For Complex, Multidomain Missions

01

Reduced Ground Reliance

02

Decentralized Architecture

03

Collaborative Autonomy

04

Adaptive Planning

How it works

On-Board Intelligence Orchestrates Missions Without Ground Control

APS employs specialized agents that handle domain-specific tasks while a master agent coordinates constellation-wide execution.

01

Master Autonomous Planning Agent (MAPA)

Event-driven architecture responds to telemetry, status changes, and mission updates in real-time, making decisions in-orbit that would take on-ground operators hours.

Key Capabilities

  • Coordinates mission execution across entire constellation
  • Resolves resource conflicts between satellites autonomously
  • Adapts plans based on real-time telemetry and events

02

Specialized Autonomous Planning Agents (SAPA)

SAPAs provide domain expertise for specific challenges such as imaging collection, communications scheduling, formation flying, threat avoidance while optimizing within their specialty.

Key Capabilities

  • Domain-specific algorithms for imaging, comms, formation control
  • Parallel processing across specialized planning tasks
  • Extensible architecture adds new capabilities without redesign

03

Responsive Mission Adaptation

APS updates command queues dynamically when opportunities appear, keeping plans accurate in the event of target sightings, collision warnings, or resource changes.

Key Capabilities

  • Updates plans based on real-time event data
  • Configurable planning horizons balance responsiveness and stability
  • Maintains mission accuracy despite changing conditions

04

Real-Time Decision Intelligence

Messaging middleware connects planning agents with spacecraft subsystems, triggering decisions only when conditions actually require it.

Key Capabilities

  • Event-driven triggers minimize processing overhead
  • Socket-based architecture integrates spacecraft subsystems
  • Process control enables restart logic and status monitoring

05

Collaborative Autonomy

APS operates at configurable autonomy levels. Operators can provide high-level goals and constraints while APS handles execution details, or ground systems can provide full oversight depending on mission requirements.

Key Capabilities

  • Configurable autonomy levels from advisory to fully autonomous
  • CCSDS-compatible interfaces work with existing ground systems
  • Ground operators set goals, APS optimizes execution

01

US Space Force

Missile Track Custody Program

02

Multiple Satellite Vendors

Integrated for USSF Operations

03

Thousands of Satellites

Coordinated Autonomously

04

Real-Time Decisions

Seconds vs Hours for Ground Control

FAQ

Common Questions About Autonomous Satellite Planning

What is APS and how does autonomous satellite planning work?
How does the MAPA/SAPA architecture coordinate constellation operations?
What is just-in-time planning and why does it matter for satellite operations?
Can APS integrate with existing ground control systems?
What satellite missions require autonomous constellation planning?
How does APS handle spacecraft failures or missed observations?
What is the difference between APS and ground-based mission planning systems?
How does APS coordinate with spacecraft subsystems like sensors and propulsion?
Can ground operators override APS autonomous decisions?
What satellite programs currently use APS for constellation management?

APS (Autonomous Planning System) implements on-board AI to orchestrate mission planning, scheduling, and execution across satellite constellations without ground intervention. MAPA (Master Autonomous Planning Agent) coordinates constellation-wide decisions while SAPAs (Specialized Autonomous Planning Agents) handle domain-specific tasks like imaging, communications, and formation flying. Event-driven architecture responds to changing conditions in real-time, making decisions in orbit that ground operators would take hours to compute.

MAPA integrates plans from multiple specialized agents across the entire constellation, resolving conflicts and optimizing resources autonomously. SAPAs provide domain expertise for specific challenges—imaging collection, communications scheduling, formation control, threat avoidance—each optimizing within their specialty. MAPA ensures constellation-wide coherence while SAPAs operate in parallel, enabling modular mission reconfiguration without redesigning the entire system.

Just-in-time planning updates command queues dynamically based on real-time events within configurable timelines rather than following static pre-programmed schedules. Satellites execute optimal plans given actual conditions—target movements, collision warnings, resource changes—instead of outdated predictions made hours or days ago on the ground. This responsiveness enables missions requiring split-second adaptation impossible with traditional ground-based planning cycles.

Yes. APS operates at configurable autonomy levels working independently or collaboratively with ground commands depending on mission requirements. CCSDS-compatible interfaces integrate with existing ground systems without requiring infrastructure replacement. Operators provide high-level goals and constraints while APS handles execution details, or ground systems maintain full oversight. This flexibility enables adding autonomous capabilities without wholesale system redesign.

Missions requiring continuous target custody use APS for handoff coordination—Space Force Missile Track Custody maintains uninterrupted threat tracking across constellations. Responsive imaging missions use just-in-time planning capturing time-sensitive targets appearing between ground contacts. Formation flying missions coordinate precise maneuvers maintaining distributed sensing geometries. Any mission where ground communication delays cause failures benefits from on-orbit decision-making autonomy.

Event-driven architecture triggers automatic replanning when satellites fail, sensors malfunction, or collections miss. MAPA redistributes tasks across remaining constellation assets maintaining mission continuity despite degradation. Dynamic rescheduling adapts to actual system state rather than assuming perfect execution. Resilient planning ensures missions survive component failures that would break static pre-programmed plans requiring manual ground intervention taking hours or days.

APS makes decisions on-orbit eliminating ground communication delays measured in minutes or hours. Ground systems optimize across mission timelines but cannot respond to immediate opportunities or threats. APS operates continuously aboard satellites while ground planning operates in discrete cycles. On-board autonomy enables responsive missions impossible when every decision requires round-trip communication to ground operators who may be unavailable or overwhelmed.

Messaging middleware connects planning agents with spacecraft subsystems—remote sensing, command execution, data management, telemetry, task queues. Event-driven triggers activate planning only when conditions change rather than polling constantly. SAPAs translate high-level mission goals into subsystem commands while monitoring telemetry for execution status. Integrated architecture enables coordinated operations across subsystems that stovepipe systems cannot achieve without manual operator coordination.

Yes. Configurable autonomy levels enable human oversight ranging from advisory mode where APS recommends actions to full autonomy where APS executes independently. Ground operators set goals, constraints, and priorities while monitoring execution. Manual overrides interrupt autonomous operations when required. CCSDS-compatible command interfaces let operators provide high-level retasking or detailed commands depending on mission phase. Balance between automation and oversight adapts to mission criticality.

APS supports US Space Force Missile Track Custody mission enabling multiple satellite vendors to coordinate threat tracking autonomously. Demonstrated at GEOINT 2024 for responsive AMTI/GMTI collection planning maintaining continuous custody of moving targets through sensor handoffs. Integrated products enable simultaneous management of thousands of satellites through optimization, orchestration, and deconfliction. Mission-proven for government and commercial constellation operations requiring autonomous coordination impossible through manual ground planning.

Ready To Enable Autonomous Constellation Operations?

Let’s talk about how APS can provide TRL-8 on-board intelligence to coordinate thousands of satellites without ground bottlenecks.

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