Redwire’s side session at this year’s Small Satellite Conference in Salt Lake City brought together leaders from government and industry to discuss how autonomy is being leveraged to support space missions.  Moderated by Payload’s Jaqueline Feldscher, the panel examined advances that enable dynamic space operations, increase survivability without ground intervention, accelerate sensor-to-shooter timelines, and enhance real-time characterization of intent to reshape how missions are executed in contested and rapidly evolving environments. The panel also discussed the cultural and technical challenges of implementing autonomy, including building robust training data to support space operations, and overcoming standardized processes and human instincts.

Panelists included:

• Benjamin Bahney, Program Leader for Space, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
• (ret.) Dean Bellamy, EVP, National Security Space, Redwire
• Seth Lacy, Senior Scientist for Space Mobility and Precision Maneuver, Air Force Research Laboratory, Air Force Material Command, Kirtland AFB
• Owen Stephens, Director of Contracting, Space Rapid Capabilities Office, U.S. Space Force

Below are key takeaways from the session:

When Should the DoD Use Autonomy?
Col. Stephens stressed the importance of stepping back and thinking about how to implement autonomy from a systems of systems perspective. “The government needs to step up a level and consider what [incorporating autonomy] means from one end of the ecosystem to the other end of the ecosystem,” Col. Stephens said.

Training Data for Autonomy in Space
Bahney explained that one of the concerns with autonomy is the lack of reliable training data for contested space operations. Bahney said that the use of synthetic data could be used to address this concern.

Human-Machine Interfaces
Dr. Lacy highlighted how the interface between the human and machine is very important and how, if the autonomy does something surprising to the user, the user might not utilize it as intended. There are also times when autonomy might take away from the focus of the mission.

Getting Data from Space to Ground
Bellamy highlighted that as space gets more congested and contested, the ability to ensure a mission can operate through a contested environment is more important than ever. Autonomy will be key for getting data from space to the warfighters on the ground, and better autonomy onboard satellites can ensure timely alerts and safety of flight.

Watch the full panel recording here to learn more.