SBIR-STTR Award

Nabla Zero Labs will investigate the feasibility and technical merit of the Astrodynamics Cloud: A technology enabling the collaborative design, analysis, and optimization of spacecraft trajectories. We aim to support autonomous, integrated, and inter-operable modeling capabilities throughout NASA's mission portfolio, as well as the rapidly-growing small-satellite industry. The technology consolidates both new and existing software, algorithms, and data structures into an on-line, high-performance service. It is based on four core components: 1. The Trajectory Graph Data Structure, used for management, traversal, and persistent storage of available transfers. 2. The Search Strategy Interface, used for interaction between the graph and existing or new software and algorithms for rapid exploration of transfer options near and around planets, satellites, and small bodies. 3. The Trajectory Optimization Interface, used for interaction between the approximate rapid-search solutions and algorithms for high-fidelity trajectory optimization in multi-body environments. 4. The Distributed Analytics Engine, used for decentralized collaboration, analytical support, and orchestration of massively-parallel, high-performance workloads, such as situational awareness, machine learning, and Monte Carlo analysis. We aim for our technology to continue pushing the current generational leap from sequential computing to concurrent and parallel. In addition, we propose a novel paradigm shift: from an outdated single-user and batch-oriented workflow, to a truly collaborative multi-user and incremental view. Potential NASA Applications (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words) Our technology is be directly relevant to mission design and flight mechanics groups at NASA. Specific missions include Europa Clipper, currently under development by Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Applied Physics Laboratory, and the Icy Worlds initiative. Our technology may significantly extend the capabilities of existing software developed with NASA funds, such as Monte, GMAT, Otis, Malto, and Mystic, and serve as a spring-board to attract new customers to those powerful applications. Potential Non-NASA Applications (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words) We aim to offer astrodynamics-as-a-service to the rapidly-growing small-satellite industry. The industry is expected to reach the 30- to 40 billion valuation mark by the next decade, and require the design, analysis, optimization, and control of over six or seven thousand individual space assets. We aim for our platform to fulfill all their astrodynamics needs.

Nabla Zero Labs proposes to continue the development of the Astrodynamics Cloud: A technology enabling the collaborative design, analysis, and optimization of spacecraft trajectories. We aim to support autonomous, integrated, and inter-operable modeling capabilities throughout NASA’s mission portfolio, as well as the rapidly-growing small-satellite industry, where newcomers possess extraordinary hardware capabilities, but more limited astrodynamics and flight mechanics expertise. Our platform is expressly designed to support the next generation of astrodynamics research, which we have called Large-Scale Astrodynamics: a field where the challenges are no longer how to solve one astrodynamical problem, but how to solve thousands or millions, simultaneously, continuously, and in near real-time. All while providing relevant and actionable information to a broad set of stakeholders and ensuring that such information is trustworthy and protected against cyberattacks. During Phase II, we will implement 7 services to be offered through the Astrodynamics Cloud platform: GMAT to solve GMAT-based mission design scenarios; MONTE to encode MONTE-based workflows; CRTBP to analyze trajectories in the cislunar space; SSA to perform large-scale situational awareness calculations; RAPTOR to perform low-thrust trajectory optimization; INTERVALDB an interval-oriented database to manage large-scale trajectory and interval-oriented Big Data; and CHECK a service for validation of trajectories against requirements. We are fortunate that our system comes into existence at a time when our field can barely keep up with the vast number of satellite launches, situational awareness calculations, NASA missions currently in all lifecycle stages, and the ever-increasing pressure of new entrants and stakeholders. Potential NASA Applications (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words) From the beginning of the Phase II effort, the Astrodynamics Cloud will support ongoing trajectory design, analysis, and optimization of trajectories in the cislunar space in support of the NASA Artemis mission and in mission concepts to Icy Giants currently under development. In addition, the Astrodynamics Cloud aims to support planetary protection calculations for the Europa Clipper mission and mission concepts to the inner planets. Potential Non-NASA Applications (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words) There will be more satellites launched during this decade than have been launched since the dawn of the Space Age. The Astrodynamics Cloud aims to provide these new entrants with a platform expressly designed to design, analyze and optimize trajectories for these constellations via high-performance, collaborative platform. The Astrodynamics Cloud aims to be the Git of Space Mission Design.