Branson Brooks
Viasat has unveiled a new automated constellation management and planning system that aims to support low earth orbit, or LEO, constellations.
The company’s Multi-Mission Orchestrator, or MMO, system will generate functional schedules for satellites within a LEO constellation by implementing capabilities that support space vehicle orchestration, planning and mission execution, the global communications company announced Monday.
Michael Maughan, Viasat Government’s vice president for space and mission systems, said, “With the creation and availability of new communication routes and services, there is a growing need for more efficient decision making to optimize these resources in a sustainable and effective manner.”
“Viasat’s MMO solution provides a new, flexible framework to address growing complexity introduced by disparate systems,” he added.
MMO works to enable a simultaneous search for each satellite’s schedule to make an operationally feasible and secure constellation plan. The system is designed to reduce the strain on ground operators and provide direct command orders to vehicles operating independently in complex environments.
“Automated orchestration helps removes much of the manual planning process for operations teams and provides greater autonomy while improving mission operations performance,” Maughan stated.
MMO data can be ground-based or onboard a space vehicle, enabling cooperation across domains and fleets. An on-orbit demonstration of MMO is scheduled for 2026.
