Significance of the Research
This research aims to create and enhance services enabled by satellite technologies while contributing to the strengthening of Japan’s industrial capabilities across the entire satellite supply chain.
Research Objectives
(1) Research on Inter-Orbit Coordination and Operational Technologies
This research aims to enable seamless end-to-end coordination among diverse systems in order to deliver services that satisfy user-defined quality requirements. These systems include sensing platforms such as satellites and HAPS (High-Altitude Platform Stations); data relay systems, including relay satellites that transmit sensing data; advanced processing systems that transform sensing data into user-oriented information; service systems that provide services based on the processed information; and user terminals that receive those services. In addition, the research seeks to enhance the intelligence and autonomy of satellite operation systems to enable the efficient management and operation of multiple satellites.
- Study of regenerative relay systems for multi-orbit connectivity
- Tasking operations and coordinated observation among satellites in multiple orbits
- Intelligent satellite operations
(2) Advancing Computing Performance and Functionality through Software-Defined Systems
By integrating high-performance onboard computing, advanced software technologies, and cloud-based computing resources, this research aims to enable the safe and flexible modification and extension of spacecraft functions after launch, capabilities that have traditionally been fixed before launch.
This approach will enhance mission flexibility, support multipurpose utilization of spacecraft, and enable advanced functionalities such as onboard AI processing and software-defined radio technologies. It will also reduce development barriers and promote broader participation in the space industry.
- Development of edge computing platforms for software-defined spacecraft systems
- Innovation of satellite application service using SAR imagery
- Research on advanced onboard imaging systems
- Research on cognitive radio technologies based on software-defined architectures
(3) Research on Modernizing Satellite Onboard Architecture
This research aims to increase layout flexibility in satellite design by enabling wireless communication within satellites, improving system-level redundancy and reliability by reconfiguring communication paths in response to component failures or interference conditions and enabling flexible reconfiguration of communication settings to meet user requirements.
(4) Digitalization of the Satellite Development Process
This research aims to accelerate satellite development through the standardization and automation of interfaces, digital models, and analysis processes across organizations and throughout the supply chain. These efforts will shorten design cycles, facilitate the reuse of designs and components in future projects, and significantly reduce the time required for both design and design verification.
Furthermore, the use of digital models will enable design verification and validation activities to be conducted before hardware integration. Once verification is completed in the digital environment, development can proceed more efficiently to system integration and testing, thereby reducing overall development time. Through these efforts, this research seeks to strengthen the international competitiveness of Japan’s space industry.
