By introducing transformative engineering methodologies, advanced hardware, and versatile software solutions, METASAT has laid the foundation for faster, more reliable, and cost-effective space system development
The METASAT project, coordinated by the Barcelona Supercomputing Center- Centro Nacional de Supercomputación (BSC-CNS) under Horizon Europe, concludes this year after making significant strides in advancing the development of high-performance space systems. The project has redefined how space technologies are designed and validated, delivering innovative hardware, software, and engineering methodologies poised to set new benchmarks for aerospace efficiency, reliability, and cost-effectiveness.
The project united leading organizations in research and technology development, including BSC, Ikerlan, and Collins Aerospace Applied Research & Technology Italy (ALES Srl) with technology integrators such as FENTISS and OHB, a key player in the European space sector. Its innovations were tested in diverse applications, including cloud detection and ship tracking and advanced on-board satellite instrument control designed to safeguard against system failures. Among its achievements was demonstrating the end-to-end capabilities for integrating the various temperature data from the EnMAP satellite instrument in space into a fully operational telemetry and ground station-like communication system.
METASAT reshaped traditional development approaches by embracing a cutting-edge Model-Based Engineering (MBE) virtual integration methodology based on interoperability standards (FMI 2.0, SystemC TLM 2.0, ED-247). Through system-level modelling and simulation, the project enabled early design validation and the seamless integration of complex hardware and software components.
BSC researchers from the Computer Architecture – Operating Systems (CAOS) developed the METASAT hardware platform featuring the latest NOEL-V RISC-V space processor enhanced with SPARROW, the BSC-developed AI accelerator. BSC also provided full software support for the METASAT platform, including support for the AI accelerator in popular AI frameworks, support for real time operating systems and XtratuM hypervisor and support for GPU drivers for real time operating systems, hypervisors and code generation using the European Space Agency (ESA) model-based design framework, TASTE. The BSC team presented these technologies through a demo at the DATE 2024 University Fair, receiving the Best University Fair Award as well as in the RTSS 2024 conference.
BSC also played a critical role in the project’s three AI use cases. In the AI based Fault Detection, Isolation and Recovery (FDIR) solution, the FDIR solution was integrated with OHB’s instrument control software and housekeeping infrastructure and then accelerated using the BSC’s SPARROW accelerator. BSC also provided two use cases based on the OBMark-ML open source benchmarking suite, which was previously developed by BSC for ESA. These cases include cloud screening and ship detection applications from satellite images which are also accelerated on the METASAT platform with both SPARROW and with GPU.
In addition to these technical developments, BSC introduced the concept of qualifiable cloud computing, a concept that is very interesting for the New Space Sector but cannot be applied in institutional missions since it is based on COTS GPU solutions, which rely on Linux. The proposal is based on METASAT hardware and software technologies. This work was presented in July 2024 in the IEEE Space Mission Challenges for Information Technology (SMC-IT) - IEEE Space Computing Conference (SCC), earning the Best Paper Award.
METASAT coordinator, Leonidas Kosmidis, Senior Researcher in the BSC Computer Sciences CAOS group, emphasized that “by leveraging qualifiable hardware and software for multicores and accelerators, METASAT sets the foundation for future on board processing that will allow operations to be performed on satellites instead of requiring them to be transmitted for processing on the ground”.
As METASAT draws to a close, its impact will resonate far beyond the project’s lifecycle. By introducing transformative engineering methodologies, advanced hardware, and versatile software solutions, METASAT has laid the foundation for faster, more reliable, and cost-effective space system development. This legacy solidifies Europe’s leadership in aerospace innovation and ensures that the advancements made during METASAT will continue to propel future missions to new heights.
For more details about the METASAT project and its achievements, visit www.metasat-project.eu