NASA SBIR 00-1 SOLICITATION
FORM 9B - PROJECT SUMMARY
PROPOSAL NUMBER 00-1 22.02-8543 (Chron: 001458 )
PROJECT TITLE
AgentCommand: A Control Center for Autonomous Distributed Satellite Systems
TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Agent-based systems, such as the ObjectAgent and TeamAgent systems developed by Princeton Satellite Systems, will facilitate the development of distributed, autonomous, and intelligent space systems. There are many advantages to using systems composed of multiple spacecraft, including greater performance, lower cost, and better fault tolerance, reconfigurability and upgradability. However, a significant disadvantage is the necessity of controlling many spacecraft simultaneously. Onboard autonomy, such as the Cluster Manager agent being developed for ObjectAgent/TeamAgent, partially alleviates this problem by creating a “virtual” satellite. In the end, however, it is still necessary for human users to interface with the system and this proposal addresses this critical area. A set of user configurable software tools will be created that enables users to easily command and monitor agent-based, multiple satellite systems, as well as perform fault detection, identification and recovery on the system. The tools will be internet-based. Although AgentCommand will be originally developed for use with the ObjectAgent software architecture, it will eventually interface with traditional flight software architectures and ground systems so that non-OA-based satellites can be included in the controlled formation.
POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The initial market for AgentCommand consists of users of distributed satellite systems, including military, commercial, and scientific/civil users. The monitoring, commanding, and debugging tools will provide an unprecedented level of control over autonomous distributed satellite systems. Additionally, the software can easily be extended to the control of any distributed system, thus increasing the potential market size. After initial development, other industries that use, or plan on using, fleets of autonomous vehicles will be targeted as potential customers. This includes, but is not limited to, commercial robotic systems, military unmanned aerial vehicle systems, and scientific mixed platform systems such as teams of space, air, surface, and sub-surface vehicles for the exploration of Earth or other planets. AgentCommand can also be used to control, monitor, and debug distributed systems of software agents, such as those being developed for the switching control and monitoring of power and communications networks. This agent-based software market will be pursued in Phase III.
NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
(Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Derek M. Surka
Princeton Satellite Systems, Inc.
150 S. Washington St. Suite 201
Falls Church , VA 22046 - 2921
NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR
(Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Princeton Satellite Systems, Inc.
33 Witherspoon Street
Princeton , NJ 08542 - 3207