The Orion Space Solutions Experience with Coupling Satellite and Space Environment Digital Twins for Earth Observations

Digital twins, originally developed for manufacturing applications, offer a promising solution for modeling and simulating complex systems. They have recently been used by major weather centers such as ECMWF with Destination Earth (DestinE) to disseminate weather and climate data to end users and allow for scenario exploration. Orion Space Solutions (OSS), along with two other vendors, participated in the NOAA Joint Ventures Program Broad Agency Announcement for Earth Observations Digital Twins (EO-DT) to prototype solutions and reduce risk for NOAA as it decides whether to proceed with such approaches. In the OSS opinion, the project has proven successful in developing use cases for Earth Observations where the digital twin paradigm is invaluable. We present one such use case here of the space environment, which is a complex, dynamic system driven primarily by solar activity. Satellites operating within this environment are subject to a variety of effects, including thermospheric drag, high temperatures, solar charging, and radiation. To ensure the safety and longevity of satellites, operators must carefully monitor and predict these effects. The combination of a satellite digital twin with a space weather environmental digital twin creates a powerful tool for understanding and predicting the interactions between satellites and their surrounding environment. The space weather environmental digital twin incorporates models of the sun, solar wind, magnetosphere, ionosphere, and thermosphere, while the satellite digital twin is a virtual representation of a physical satellite, incorporating its design, components, and operational characteristics. These models allow a user to simulate various space weather events and their potential impacts on satellites. By coupling the satellite digital twin with the space weather environmental digital twin, we can:

• Visualize real-time state: Visualize the satellite in the environment including the most recent telemetry and sensor information based on the satellite forecasted orbit that incorporates real-time estimated environmental neutral drag.
• Predict satellite performance: Simulate the effects of space weather on satellite components, such as location, orientation, solar panels, batteries, and sensors.
• Optimize satellite operations: Identify and execute operational modes to mitigate the negative impacts of space weather.
• Plan satellite missions: Assess the feasibility of future missions and identify potential risks associated with specific orbits or payloads.
• Test observing strategies: Incorporate mission planning tools with observing strategies to feed Observing System Simulation Experiments (OSSEs) in order to quantify, compare, and contrast various potential observing systems and their associated trades.
• Improve space traffic management: Predict potential collisions between satellites and debris and develop strategies for avoiding them.
• Support deorbiting operations: Simulate the effects of atmospheric drag on satellites and develop efficient deorbiting strategies as required by law for new satellite missions.

By extending the concept of digital twins to the satellite and space environment itself, one can monitor and predict the evolution of space weather conditions on individual satellites. This allows satellite operations to anticipate potential hazards and develop strategies for mitigating their impact. The coupling of satellite and space weather digital twins offers a powerful paradigm for understanding and managing satellite operations in a dynamic and challenging environment. Digital twins can improve the safety, reliability, and efficiency of space missions while advancing understanding of the complex interactions between the Earth, the sun, and the space environment.