Satellite Computing: Vision and Challenges
Shangguang Wang, Qing Li
Abstract
The space industry experiences a rise in low-Earth-orbit satellite mega-constellations to achieve universal connectivity. At the same time, cloud firms (such as Google, Microsoft, and AWS) also have ambitions for computing in space to offer public cloud services in orbit. Satellite computing, as a new emerging concept, is promising to enable new paradigms in on-orbit autonomy, remote sensing, edge computing, and other areas by empowering satellites with computing resources. However, LEO mega-constellations bring inherent challenges for satellite computing in satellite networking, computing, and others due to the moving core infrastructure, reduced system power budget, and harsh space environment. This article presents vision and challenges for satellite computing based on a brief survey of the very recent literature in the “NewSpace” era and gives a case study of an open research platform on real satellites named Tiansuan constellation. This article aims to call researchers to collaboratively undertake the research of satellite computing and provide some insights for the research community.