Cloud 2 LEO Deployment - Deploy Solutions

Project Overview

Given the dramatic rise in satellite and spacecraft launches, we foresee a need to do 'continuous' deployments while satellite and other spacecraft are in orbit.

When the code is uploaded to the satellite it must be verified and tested before and after updating. If errors occur the code must either cancel deployment or rollback to the previous version of the code.

In the space industry, code deployment is generally done via proprietary and closed-source methods, which prevents standardization, and is likely to increase development and operational cost and risk versus an open source standard.

This proprietary approach to code deployment contrasts with the software industry which has numerous standardized and open toolsets to perform these tasks (the practice of which is called “continuous integration” and “continuous delivery”).

We are therefore working with New Space partners (and others) to apply software industry practices, technologies, and processes to the space industry (particularly “continuous integration/continuous delivery”).

Project Goals & Objectives

Broadly, our intent is to build a CI/CD pipeline that will assist and be adopted by the space industry upstream segment, particularly New Space start ups or companies managing LEO satellites / constellations that are looking to standardize their code deployment practices.

Goal #1: Develop an open and standardized CI/CD process to deploy software code and data to a satellite via a (software simulated) ground station.

Objective 1 – Create a CI/CD Solution Architecture and Design

Specific: Create a CI/CD architecture and design document that describes the necessary system hardware and software components, configurations, processes, technologies and tools that will be required to deploy software code and data to a satellite in LEO in a CI/CD pipeline.
Measurable: The objective is met once a solution architecture and design document is drafted that SMEs feel is likely to lead to a successful demonstration of the CI/CD pipeline in the simulated environment (once the proposed design is implemented).
Achievable: This is a “paper-based design” exercise, based on modifying standard CI/CD processes to meet the space industry foreseeable needs.
Rewarding: The exercise will force us to think through the foreseeable issues and requirements before embarking on development and configuration work. It will likely decrease the costs and effort of the subsequent implementation. The document will also provide opportunities to develop SME and partner relationships and solicit their feedback to improve the resulting design.
Timebound: We have set a due date of Jan 31, 2020 for the first major release of the Solution Architecture and Design. We will subsequently update it on a regular basis (at least quarterly) as we begin to engage project partners (Objective 2).

Objective 2 – Engage Project Partners and Update CI/CD Solution Architecture and Design

Specific: Perform market research and outreach to enlist interested parties in providing feedback on the proposed design. Update the CI/CD design and get approval from project partners.
Measurable: The objective is met once at least one new partner agrees to participate in the project, provides feedback on the initial draft design, and all partners approve the updated design.
Achievable: The participation “cost” to a prospective partner is negligible (limited to feedback workshops, document review and feedback), and the benefits are expected to be high. Therefore, we are likely to obtain at least one new project partner.
Rewarding: The goal is to achieve an open and standardized CI/CD pipeline – therefore by meeting this objective we demonstrate there is a wider appetite for that. The objective will help us articulate the values and benefits of this project. It will help us improve our design with external feedback and increase the “use cases” / requirements we have available to us.
Timebound: We will set a due date of April 30, 2020 for adding a new partner to the project and soliciting feedback. This will give us a 3-month period after the initial design document is drafted to find, enlist, and gather feedback from the new partner, as well as update and get approval from all project partners.

Objective 3 – Implement CI/CD pipeline for a “standard” simulated satellite

Specific: Using the approved CI/CD design, implement the CI/CD pipeline for a simulated satellite.
Measurable: The objective is met once the CI/CD pipeline is built according to the approved CI/CD design and can take a code commit from local development all the way to deployment on a simulated satellite (on Earth).
Achievable: With partner assistance we will be able to simulate a satellite and ground station and perform tests. This should be readily achievable.
Rewarding: By meeting this objective we demonstrate that the paper-based design works (at least in a simulated process for a “standard” satellite). The objective will help us further articulate the values and benefits of this project. It may help us improve our design by identifying and overcoming unforeseen development and architectural issues.
Timebound: We will set a due date of July 31, 2020 for this work. This will give us a 3-month period after the updated design is approved to setup a simulated satellite /ground station environment and implement a basic CI/CD process for it.

Goal #2: Customize the CI/CD process and demonstrate with a satellite in Low Earth Orbit (LEO)

Objective 1 - Customize the CI/CD Solution Architecture and Design to perform a real deployment on a partner satellite

Specific: Customize the existing CI/CD architecture and design document to deploy code to a real satellite
Measurable: The objective is met once a solution architecture and design document is drafted that the chosen partner(s) feel is likely to lead to a successful deployment of their code to a satellite in LEO (once the proposed design is implemented).
Achievable: This is a “paper-based design” exercise, based on modifying the standard CI/CD process (from Goal 1) to meet the specific code deployment needs of partner(s).
Rewarding: The exercise will force us to think through the foreseeable issues and requirements before customizing the standardized pipeline. It will likely decrease the costs and effort of the subsequent customization.
Timebound: We have set a due date of September 30, 2020 for the customized Solution Architecture and Design. That is approximately two months after the standardized CI/CD process is completed (target date end of July 2020)

Objective 2 – Implement customized CI/CD pipeline for partner deployment

Specific: Using the approved customized CI/CD design, update the CI/CD pipeline to support the partner code deployment
Measurable: The objective is met once the CI/CD pipeline is built according to the approved customized CI/CD design and can take a code commit from local development all the way to deployment on a simulated satellite (on Earth).
Achievable: With partner assistance we will be able to simulate their precise satellite and ground station configuration and perform tests of the code base they wish to deploy. This should be readily achievable.
Rewarding: By meeting this objective we demonstrate that the paper-based design works (at least in a simulated process for a “standard” satellite). The objective will help us further articulate the values and benefits of this project. It may help us improve our design by identifying and overcoming unforeseen development and architectural issues.
Timebound: We will set a due date of November 31, 2020 for this work. This will give us a 2-month period after the updated design is approved to setup a simulated satellite /ground station environment and implement a basic CI/CD process for it

Objective 3 – Deploy code to Satellite in LEO

Specific: Deploy partner code a satellite in LEO
Measurable: The objective is met a code commit is successfully deployed from local development all the way to a satellite in Low Earth Orbit. Success is determined by passing 100% of test cases to pass a series of quality gates.
Achievable: With partner assistance we will be able to simulate their precise satellite and ground station configuration and perform tests of the code base they wish to deploy. This should be readily achievable.
Rewarding: By meeting this objective we demonstrate that the paper-based design works (at least in a simulated process for a “standard” satellite). The objective will help us further articulate the values and benefits of this project. It may help us improve our design by identifying and overcoming unforeseen development and architectural issues.
Timebound: We will set a due date of November 31, 2020 for this work. This will give us a 2-month period after the updated design is approved to setup a simulated satellite /ground station environment and implement a basic CI/CD process for it.

Project Results

This project is currently in progress. Preliminary work has begun on user stories and draft solution architecture and design. More concrete results (and code!) will be posted as project milestones are reached.

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Project Overview

Project Goals & Objectives

Goal #1: Develop an open and standardized CI/CD process to deploy software code and data to a satellite via a (software simulated) ground station.

Goal #2: Customize the CI/CD process and demonstrate with a satellite in Low Earth Orbit (LEO)

Project Results

At a Glance

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