Auria has announced it will support the integration of its Autonomous Planning System (APS) into the Cislunar Testbed at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL). The contract will allow Auria’s APS to be evaluated for its capabilities in autonomous onboard planning for spacecraft operating in cislunar space.
According to Auria, APS will manage multiple operator-defined mission objectives. These include power management, imaging the lunar surface using Space Situational Awareness (SSA) sensors, maintaining awareness of cislunar orbital regimes, planning communications, orchestrating data processing activities, and ensuring that all mission safety constraints are upheld. Safety measures involve protecting sensitive sensor optics from bright objects and maintaining thermal stability for spacecraft hardware.
The APS technology will be tested on APL’s flight-like computers within a simulated cislunar environment. This setup is intended to provide realistic conditions for evaluating spacecraft operations and mission configurations. If successful, this could lead to opportunities for including APS on future APL missions. The purpose of the Cislunar Testbed is to advance U.S. interests in cislunar space by increasing the technology readiness level of solutions like APS.
Auria notes that its APS technology has been used in several other domains. Past applications include supporting DARPA with autonomous operations of Low Earth Orbit satellite constellations; providing local domain awareness and safety assurance for AFRL’s SaFIRE program; managing unmanned vehicle teams with the Navy; and enabling NASA robotic exploration missions involving heterogeneous swarms of rovers, satellites, atmospheric vehicles, and astronauts-in-the-loop for lunar exploration.
“Auria is a provider of Space Operations, Space Domain Awareness, and Space Test & Training solutions and software for federal, international, and commercial customers. Headquartered in Colorado Springs, CO and with operations in Boulder, CO, Washington, DC, Huntsville, AL, Albuquerque, NM, Ogden, UT, and San Diego, CA, our success is built on the excellence of diverse teams advancing innovative systems and operational software to strengthen our customers’ superiority in Space. With a distinguished track record and a spirit of relentless pursuit, we set the pace for progress and execute every mission with the utmost precision. For more information,” Auria stated on its website: www.Auria.Space.
