Orchestration of software application deployment in a satellite platform

• US 9,740,465 B1
• Filed: 11/16/2016
• Issued: 08/22/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Vector Launch, Inc.
• Inventors: Coleman, Shaun, Garber, Darren D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Aponte, Francisco
• Application Number:
  US15/353,411
• Time in Patent Office: 279 Days
• Field of Search: 717121, 717168-178
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management

Abstract

Systems, methods, and software described herein provide enhancements for deploying software applications in satellites. In one example, a control system may receive user input indicative of deployment requirements for a software application, and identify an availability of resources in a plurality of satellites deployed as an orbiting satellite platform. The control system further determines deployment options for deployment of the software application based on the deployment requirements and the availability of resources in the plurality of satellites, and provides the deployment options to a developer of the software application.

Claims

1. A method of managing software application deployments to a satellite platform the method comprising:

via a user interface, receiving user input indicative of deployment requirements for a software application to be deployed onto the satellite platform to perform at least an operation across one or more of a plurality of satellites comprising the satellite platform;

determining current availability of in orbit resources in the plurality of satellites;

processing the deployment requirements and the current availability of in orbit resources to determine deployment options for deployment of the software application to fulfil at least a portion of the deployment requirements using the current availability of in orbit resources and fulfil a remainder of the deployment requirements with one or more new satellites;

based at least on the current availability indicating in orbit resources of the plurality of satellites being able to achieve all the deployment requirements, presenting via the user interface at least a first deployment option for deploying the software application to the one or more of the plurality of satellites in orbit to achieve the deployment requirements; and

based at least on the current availability indicating in orbit resources of the plurality of satellites being unable to achieve all of the deployment requirements, presenting via the user interface at least a second deployment option for deploying the software application to the one or more of the plurality of satellites in orbit to fulfil at least the portion of the deployment requirements, and presenting specifications of the one or more new satellites not yet deployed into orbit to achieve the remainder of the deployment requirements not achieved by the plurality of satellites in orbit.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the deployment requirements indicate one or more among geographic areas of interest, operation times of interest for the software application, and sensor requirements to perform the operation.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying the current availability of in orbit resources in the plurality of satellites comprises identifying an availability of processing and sensor resources present in the plurality of satellites in orbit that can achieve at least the portion of the deployment requirements.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

identifying a budget requirement received via the user interface for the software application; and

determining the deployment options for deployment of the software application based at least on the budget requirement, deployment requirements, and the current availability of in orbit resources present in the plurality of satellites.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a user selection indicating the first deployment option; and

in response to the user selection, prompting a deployment service to deploy the software application to the one or more of the plurality of satellites in orbit, wherein the deployment service transfers the software application to the one or more of the plurality of satellites for execution as at least a virtual node on the one or more of the plurality of satellites.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

based at least on the current availability indicating in orbit resources of the plurality of satellites being unable to achieve all of the deployment requirements, presenting to the user via the user interface at least a third deployment option for deploying the software application to the one or more of the plurality of satellites in orbit to fulfil at least the portion of the deployment requirements without achieving the remainder of the deployment requirements.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a user selection indicating the second deployment option; and

in response to the user selection, presenting cost options for the one or more new satellites not yet deployed into orbit to achieve the remainder of the deployment requirements.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein determining the deployment options comprises:

determining whether each deployment requirement of the deployment requirements can be accommodated by the plurality of satellites based on the current availability of in orbit resources present in the plurality of satellites; and

if each deployment requirement of the deployment requirements can be accommodated, identifying the first deployment option indicating via the user interface that the deployment requirements can be accommodated via the plurality of satellites.

9. A computer apparatus comprising:

one or computer readable storage media;

a processing system operatively couple with the one or more computer readable storage media; and

program instructions stored on the one or more computer readable storage media to manage software application deployments to a satellite platform that, when read and executed by the processing system, direct the processing system to at least;

provide a user interface to receive user input indicative of deployment requirements for a software application to be deployed onto the satellite platform to perform at least an operation across one or more of a plurality of satellites comprising the satellite platform;

determine current availability of in orbit resources in a plurality of satellites deployed for the satellite platform;

process the deployment requirements and the current availability of in orbit resources to determine deployment options for deployment of the software application to accommodate at least a portion of the deployment requirements using the current availability of in orbit resources and accommodate a remainder of the deployment requirements with one or more new satellites;

based at least on the current availability indicating in orbit resources of the plurality of satellites being able to achieve all the deployment requirements, present via the user interface at least a first deployment option for deploying the software application to the one or more of the plurality of satellites in orbit to achieve the deployment requirements; and

based at least on the current availability indicating in orbit resources of the plurality of satellites being unable to achieve all of the deployment requirements, present via the user interface at least a second deployment option for deploying the software application to the one or more of the plurality of satellites in orbit to fulfil at least the portion of the deployment requirements, and present specifications of the one or more new satellites not yet deployed into orbit to achieve the remainder of the deployment requirements not achieved by the plurality of satellites in orbit.

10. The computer apparatus of claim 9 wherein the deployment requirements indicate one or more among geographic areas of interest, operation times of interest for the software application, and sensor requirements to perform the operation.

11. The computer apparatus of claim 9 wherein the program instructions to identify the current availability of in orbit resources in the plurality of satellites direct the processing system to identify an availability of processing and sensor resources present in the plurality of satellites in orbit that can achieve at least the portion of the deployment requirements.

12. The computer apparatus of claim 9 wherein the program instructions further direct the processing system to:

receive a user selection indicating the first deployment option; and

in response to the user selection, prompting a deployment service to deploy the software application to the one or more of the plurality of satellites in orbit, wherein the deployment service transfers the software application to the one or more of the plurality of satellites for execution as at least a virtual node on the one or more of the plurality of satellites.

13. The computer apparatus of claim 9 wherein the program instructions further direct the processing system to:

based at least on the current availability indicating in orbit resources of the plurality of satellites being unable to achieve all of the deployment requirements, present to the user via the user interface at least a third deployment option for deploying the software application to the one or more of the plurality of satellites in orbit to fulfil at least the portion of the deployment requirements without achieving the remainder of the deployment requirements.

14. The computer apparatus of claim 9 wherein the program instructions further direct the processing system to:

receive a user selection indicating the second deployment option; and

in response to the user selection, present cost options for the one or more new satellites not yet deployed into orbit to achieve the remainder of the deployment requirements.

15. The computer apparatus of claim 9 wherein the program instructions to determine the deployment options direct the processing system to:

determine whether each deployment requirement of the deployment requirements can be accommodated by the plurality of satellites based on the current availability of in orbit resources present in the plurality of satellites; and

if each deployment requirement of the deployment requirements can be accommodated, identify the first deployment option indicating via the user interface that the deployment requirements can be accommodated via the plurality of satellites.

16. The computer apparatus of claim 9 wherein the program instructions further direct the processing system to:

identify a budget requirement received via the user interface for the software application; and

determine the deployment options for deployment of the software application based at least on the budget requirement, deployment requirements, and the current availability of in orbit resources present in the plurality of satellites.

17. An apparatus comprising:

one or computer readable storage media; and

program instructions stored on the one or more computer readable storage media to manage software application deployments to a satellite platform that, when read and executed by a processing system, direct the processing system to at least;

receive user input indicative of deployment requirements for a software application to be deployed onto the satellite platform comprising a plurality of satellites already in orbit, wherein the software application comprises one or more functions for monitoring ground-based activity using sensor resources provided by the satellite platform;

identify an availability of at least the sensor resources present in the plurality of satellites to support the one or more functions for in orbit monitoring of the ground-based activity;

determine deployment options for deployment of the software application onto the satellite platform to achieve the one or more functions, wherein the one or more deployment options are determined based at least on the deployment requirements and the availability of the sensor resources present in the plurality of satellites already in orbit to monitor the ground-based activity;

based at least on the availability indicating sensor resources provided by the satellite platform being able to achieve all the deployment requirements, provide for presentation to a user at least a first deployment option for deploying the software application to at least one of the plurality of satellites already in orbit to achieve the deployment requirements; and

based at least on the availability indicating sensor resources provided by the satellite platform being unable to achieve all of the deployment requirements, provide for presentation to the user at least a second deployment option for deploying the software application to one or more of the plurality of satellites already in orbit to fulfil at least a portion of the deployment requirements, and present specifications of one or more new satellites not yet deployed into orbit to achieve a remainder of the deployment requirements not achieved by the at least one of the plurality of satellites in orbit.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the deployment requirements comprise at least geographic areas of interest for monitoring the ground-based activity using the sensor resources provided by the satellite platform, operation times of interest to monitor the ground-based activity, and sensor requirements to monitor the ground-based activity.

19. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the program instructions further direct the processing system to:

identify a budget requirement received via the user input; and

determine the deployment options for deployment based at least on the budget requirement, deployment requirements, and the availability of in orbit sensor resources.