As the world increasingly moves towards the digital realm, the European Commission (EC) and European Space Agency (ESA) are meeting the demand for critical telecommunications infrastructure through the IRIS² initiative. As part of that effort, ESA’s ARTES 4.0 Space Systems for Safety and Security (4S) program recently awarded a GMV-led consortium the first phase for the 4S System and Services Test Bed (4SSTB). GMV is supported by an experienced international team, including Magister Solutions of Finland, the Technical Research Center of Finland (VTT), Telespazio Belgium, and the National Technical University of Athens (Greece).

The 4SSTB will act as a digital twin for future secure satellite missions, showing how missions will react to changing scenarios and allow researchers a glimpse of the entire system’s behavior with the click of a button. This insight can be used to de-risk future technological developments, diagnose potential issues with the system, streamline new technology development, and vet system security, all from the safety of the digital realm.  While the concept of such a system testbed is simple, bringing it to life is a far more complex undertaking.

Increasing demand for connectivity from both governments and citizens has resulted in countless satellite networks, each with an even greater number of users.  Government and pan-government agencies often focus on areas such as secure communication systems, crisis management, border/marine surveillance, and air traffic control.  The civilian sector uses mass-market communications (fixed and mobile broadband) and low rate “internet of things” applications (IoT). To successfully represent so many unique domains, the 4SSTB will undergo rigorous development efforts during the first phase of the project.

To outline how the testbed should perform, the 4SSTB team will first leverage existing satellite constellations and technology to define key performance indicators (KPIs). Engineers, strategists, and developers will work side by side using an agile methodology to define each aspect of the mission.  Everything from the end users on their mobile phones to the size and orbit of the satellites overhead will be factored in and outlined in requirements.  Finally, exhaustive testing and verification will confirm the testbed is performing as planned.  Once complete, the 4SSTB will be a powerful tool that puts space systems to the test, so that consumers don't have to.