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Trustful Coopetitive Infrastructures for the New Space Exploration Era

Renan Lima Baima, Loïck Chovet, Eduard Hartwich, Abhishek Bera, Johannes Sedlmeir, Gilbert Fridgen, Miguel Angel Olivares-Mendez

TL;DR

The paper tackles the challenge of coordinating coopetitive multi-robot systems for in-situ resource utilization in space by proposing a decentralized, non-proprietary platform built on distributed ledger technology. It develops a requirements-driven architecture that leverages smart contracts, NFTs, and IPFS to enable transparent data exchange, automated task allocation, and value transfer among diverse space actors. A moon-analog case study and a three-tier evaluation (simulation and lab experiments) show the approach can improve ISRU mapping efficiency and create new revenue streams while acknowledging space-specific challenges such as latency and resource constraints. The work provides a framework for open science-enabled collaboration in space missions and highlights future directions in economics, governance, and scalable deployment.

Abstract

In the new space economy, space agencies, large enterprises, and start-ups aim to launch space multi-robot systems (MRS) for various in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) purposes, such as mapping, soil evaluation, and utility provisioning. However, these stakeholders' competing economic interests may hinder effective collaboration on a centralized digital platform. To address this issue, neutral and transparent infrastructures could facilitate coordination and value exchange among heterogeneous space MRS. While related work has expressed legitimate concerns about the technical challenges associated with blockchain use in space, we argue that weighing its potential economic benefits against its drawbacks is necessary. This paper presents a novel architectural framework and a comprehensive set of requirements for integrating blockchain technology in MRS, aiming to enhance coordination and data integrity in space exploration missions. We explored distributed ledger technology (DLT) to design a non-proprietary architecture for heterogeneous MRS and validated the prototype in a simulated lunar environment. The analyses of our implementation suggest global ISRU efficiency improvements for map exploration, compared to a corresponding group of individually acting robots, and that fostering a coopetitive environment may provide additional revenue opportunities for stakeholders.

Trustful Coopetitive Infrastructures for the New Space Exploration Era

TL;DR

The paper tackles the challenge of coordinating coopetitive multi-robot systems for in-situ resource utilization in space by proposing a decentralized, non-proprietary platform built on distributed ledger technology. It develops a requirements-driven architecture that leverages smart contracts, NFTs, and IPFS to enable transparent data exchange, automated task allocation, and value transfer among diverse space actors. A moon-analog case study and a three-tier evaluation (simulation and lab experiments) show the approach can improve ISRU mapping efficiency and create new revenue streams while acknowledging space-specific challenges such as latency and resource constraints. The work provides a framework for open science-enabled collaboration in space missions and highlights future directions in economics, governance, and scalable deployment.

Abstract

In the new space economy, space agencies, large enterprises, and start-ups aim to launch space multi-robot systems (MRS) for various in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) purposes, such as mapping, soil evaluation, and utility provisioning. However, these stakeholders' competing economic interests may hinder effective collaboration on a centralized digital platform. To address this issue, neutral and transparent infrastructures could facilitate coordination and value exchange among heterogeneous space MRS. While related work has expressed legitimate concerns about the technical challenges associated with blockchain use in space, we argue that weighing its potential economic benefits against its drawbacks is necessary. This paper presents a novel architectural framework and a comprehensive set of requirements for integrating blockchain technology in MRS, aiming to enhance coordination and data integrity in space exploration missions. We explored distributed ledger technology (DLT) to design a non-proprietary architecture for heterogeneous MRS and validated the prototype in a simulated lunar environment. The analyses of our implementation suggest global ISRU efficiency improvements for map exploration, compared to a corresponding group of individually acting robots, and that fostering a coopetitive environment may provide additional revenue opportunities for stakeholders.
Paper Structure (18 sections, 4 figures, 1 table)

This paper contains 18 sections, 4 figures, 1 table.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Scenario: Requirements Elicitation
  3. Foundations
  4. Market-based coordination for coopetitive MRS and space
  5. DLT for space
  6. Solution: requirements and architecture
  7. Requirements analysis
  8. Requirements specification
  9. Functional requirements:
  10. Non-functional requirements:
  11. Architecture
  12. Evaluation
  13. Requirements validation
  14. Requirements verification in simulation and implementation
  15. Discussion
  16. ...and 3 more sections

Figures (4)

  • Figure 1: Moon's Goldberg polyhedron diagram, each zone color represents a company's MRS operational area gooDIANABlockchainLunar2019.
  • Figure 2: Architecture layers.
  • Figure 3: Experimental environment that mimics the environmental lunar conditions (Lunalab), the EL3 and the Gazebo's koenigDesignUseParadigms2004 virtual space for multi-robot simulation integrated with ROS 2quigleyROSOpensourceRobot2009.
  • Figure 4: Prototype in the laboratory of simulated Moon environment.