An algorithm created by Southwest Research Institute uses less time and data than traditional methods to remotely update and fix spacecraft software.
The solution not only increases the overall effectiveness of satellite software broadcasts but also has the ability to retrieve data from destructive cyberattacks and unsuccessful over-the-air updates. Before applying a unique “micropatch” to the broken or missing program, it first detects missing bytes and other defects.
“Instead of updating an entire file or operating system, which is typically required with over-the-air satellite software updates, our tool can find and patch smaller errors,” said Henry Haswell, a research engineer in SwRI’s Intelligent Systems Division. Haswell will present a research paper titled “Secure Micropatching on the ISS” at DEF CON 31, August 10-13, in Las Vegas.”
The researchers successfully deployed and tested the tool on the International Space Station (ISS) on June 25. SwRI collaborated with Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Axiom Space Inc. to upload and test the micropatch technology on an Axiom Space-managed computer on the International Space Station (ISS). As part of the Ax-1 mission, Axiom Space and AWS worked together to deliver this AWS Snowcone computer to the ISS.
“This real-world demonstration proved the advantages of using this powerful technology,” said Diego Alducin, an SwRI computer scientist. “You can test for months in a lab on Earth, simulating all kinds of scenarios, but the true test happens in the harsh conditions of space.”
We focused our research on reducing the size of data retransmissions because that is critical in reducing mission downtime.
Diego Alducin
Updates can be interrupted and files can be damaged when done using sluggish telemetry networks with little bandwidth and sporadic interactions. The current practice is to resend the complete file over the network if that happens.
But to achieve that usually involves watching for a window in which a satellite is lined up with a ground station. This window might only happen once every few days and could be as brief as eight minutes.
“We focused our research on reducing the size of data retransmissions because that is critical in reducing mission downtime,” Alducin said.
Other systems can be prohibitively expensive, even when they handle network disturbances. Error detection and repair, or EDAC, software is used by some spacecraft to fix transmission problems, although these programs are memory and power-hungry.
SwRI lab-tested five algorithms, modeling various corruption scenarios, in advance of ISS testing. The most promising approach for deployment from Earth to space, according to the lab research, is the double breakpoint search (DBS) algorithm.
While legacy systems can only address simple problems, a DBS patch can address a range of complicated file errors, including insertion, modification, and deletion.
The next stage of study is being planned by SwRI to decrease the quantity of messages required to update a file while retaining the same error-correction capabilities. In order to facilitate seamless file transfers in the event of a brief connection failure, researchers are also working to improve micropatching continuity.
The space micropatching study is based on a tool SwRI created for automotive cybersecurity that protects over-the-air (OTA) upgrades for automobiles and trucks. SwRI’s High Reliability Systems Department develops mission-critical systems for the aerospace, automotive, oil and gas, critical infrastructure and transportation industries.
A pioneer in the creation of software, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, data analytics, and systems engineering solutions is SwRI’s Intelligent Systems Division.
