Morgantown, WV (July 8, 2024) – NextGen Federal Systems is proud to announce the maturation of the Spacecraft Anomaly Resolution Knowledgebase (SPARK) for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) under a Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract, with support from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Coordinated Group of Meteorological Satellites (CGMS). SPARK is a pioneering spacecraft anomaly database designed to enhance space situational awareness by integrating spacecraft anomalies with relevant space environment measurements and models.
SPARK’s database currently hosts over 5,000 anomalies and is designed to be extensible to existing anomaly resolution tools. SPARK applies advanced anomaly resolution capabilities using machine learning while robust cybersecurity measures protect proprietary information. The platform includes state-of-the-art dashboards, APIs, and a collaborative environment to support forensic anomaly resolution efforts across interdisciplinary teams.
Addressing a significant challenge in the space industry, SPARK provides a secure and centralized anomaly database. Commercial and Department of Defense (DoD) operators often hesitate to share precise position and velocity data of their satellites, as this information could reveal the satellite’s orbital trajectory and potentially identify the satellite, which is often considered proprietary or classified. Furthermore, commercial satellite owners may prefer to keep the identity of malfunctioning spacecraft confidential to maintain customer confidence. SPARK addresses these concerns by offering secure input of satellite diagnostic information, whether events or time-series data, for analysis. Users can choose to share their anomalies or use them within their own secure SPARK deployment alongside other shared anomalies. With NextGen’s expertise in Enterprise IT and cybersecurity, SPARK ensures the highest standards of data protection and trust.
Currently, there are over 10,000 active satellites orbiting Earth. SPARK has the potential to revolutionize satellite anomaly resolution processes and enhance space environmental situational awareness for both government and commercial organizations managing spacecraft. By extending NextGen’s space environment forecasting capabilities, SPARK provides insights and workflows to support effective spacecraft anomaly resolution.
“SPARK is poised to significantly improve spacecraft anomaly resolution processes for the space industry and bring space environment information and easy-to-use tools to understand operational environments. Security and trust are central to the technology. SPARK is what the spacecraft community has been asking for decades,” said Alec Engell, SPARK’s Principal Investigator.
SPARK’s beta release is expected to be available in early 2025. For more information about NextGen Federal Systems and other products and services, please visit www.nextgenfed.com.
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NextGen is an innovative information technology and professional services provider specializing in agile software solutions as well as comprehensive mission and business support services. We design, develop, implement, and manage information technology (IT) solutions that measurably improve our customer’s organizational performance. Our core areas of expertise include C5ISR Software Development, Modern IT Systems Engineering, Modeling and Simulation, Cyber Security & Data Management. NextGen adheres to industry standard practices and processes, including CMMI, ISO, and PMBOK.
For more information on NextGen, contact Daryl Everding at 513-392-1228.
