SBIR-STTR Award

Deployment of robots will revolutionize space exploration in the coming years, both for manned and unmanned missions. It has become universally accepted that in order to increase the number, scope, and innovation of space missions, reusable, component-based software needs to be developed. That is, complex robot and flight software can be developed concurrently and more robustly by utilizing a common framework of shared software libraries and tools. Thus, components developed by different organizations for different missions can be shared and reused because all components use the same abstracted API to the underlying hardware, including a common communication bus. A variety of programming frameworks have been created over the years that do just this. The goal of TRACLabs and the Applied Physics Laboratory is to integrate two such frameworks--NASA's cFS (core Flight System) and Open Robotics' ROS 2--in order to leverage the advantages of each system, while helping validate ROS 2 for space flight in a measured way. cFS has a proven track record for supporting embedded, Class-B space systems, but it does not contain nearly the number of applications that exist in the ROS ecosystem. ROS is useful for quickly building state-of-the-art robot systems that use a large number of cutting-edge algorithms for perception, localization, manipulation, and human-robot interaction; however, little concern is given to resource usage (memory, CPU, bandwidth), longevity, or even failure recovery by individual ROS component developers. The new ROS 2 framework, which is built on DDS message passing middleware, has the potential to eventually replace cFS for robotic flight systems. In the meantime, advanced algorithms written by the ROS 2 community should not be ignored by upcoming NASA missions. By combining cFS for safety-critical components with ROS 2 for advanced-data-processing components, near-term space systems can benefit by achieving more autonomy and more scientific discovery. Potential NASA Applications (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words) Multiple near- and far-term missions will benefit from the technologies of this project, including: ISS robots like Astrobee and R2, lunar rovers like VIPER, the Lunar Gateway, OSAM systems like Restore-L and the Robotic Refueling Missions, Orbital Debris Mitigation, Artemis, the Lunar Surface Science Mobility System, Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS), Mars sample return, New Frontiers exploration mission opportunities like Titan or Europa, and various STMD technology demonstrations. Potential Non-NASA Applications (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words) Other organizations that utilize cFS, like JAXA, KARI, Astrobotic, and the Air Force SMC, will benefit from this technology. NASA contractors that almost exclusively use ROS for software development, like Tethers, Motiv Space Systems, Honeybee Robotics, and Oceaneering, could also benefit from improved validation, verification, and integration of their systems into safety-critical space missions.

Deployment of robots will revolutionize space exploration in the coming years, both for manned and unmanned missions; however, the success of these robots is linked as much to advances in sensors, manipulators, and AI algorithms as it is to the robustness of the underlying computational architectures that support the software & hardware. Most space missions require the use of specialized--computationally limited--radiation tolerant hardware, which in turn depends upon specialized flight software (FSW). This is as true for robots as it is for the ISS or Gateway. Because of this specialization, FSW has traditionally been developed via “clone-and-own” processes, where software from a previous mission is copied and adapted. This requires time- and money-intensive design changes that are prone to errors. Similarly, it is difficult to parallelize development, or to share components between organizations, despite the fact that many common elements exist across space missions, An alternative approach, increasingly accepted by the space-flight community, suggests that developing and sharing component-based, reusable software will facilitate the number, scope, and innovation of space missions. This will require that complex robot and flight software is developed through the use of a common framework of shared libraries and tools. In the Phase I of this work, TRACLabs and the JHU/APL investigated the role of ROS2 in flight systems and how it might be integrated with NASA’s cFS to leverage the advantages of each. In Phase II, we propose to develop a toolkit of utilities that can help FSW developers to integrate ROS2 into their missions. We call this the BRASH (Bridge for ROS2 Application to Space Hardware) toolkit. Specifically, we aim to develop a series of ROS-to-FSW bridge utilities for message translation & conversion, networked communication, time synchronization, parameter and event management, and integration into TRACLabs' PRIDE electronic procedure application software. Potential NASA Applications (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words) The proposed BRASH software would be applicable to a number of NASA center and projects that wish to integrate the advanced robotics capabilities of ROS2 developed by the robotics community with the flight software critical for mission and safety success. These projects include: VIPER, Gateway, OSAM Missions such as Restore-L, Orbital Debris Mitigation, Artemis, Lunar Surface Science Mobility System, Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS), Space ROS, and Mars rover systems. Potential Non-NASA Applications (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words) With the advent of so many commercial space missions, the BRASH software could also serve to enhance a number of non-NASA systems. Specifically, our toolkit could potentially help Blue Origin, Axiom, Astrobotic, Motiv Space Systems, Tethers, Honeybee Robotics, Oceaneering, Research Institute partner APL, and any other company developing advanced robotic systems for space operations.