The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is now seriously working towards setting up a data center in space. In a reply tabled in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday (December 11), the Department of Space said that the preliminary internal study conducted on this ambitious project has been completed, and the report has declared it viable. Along with this, an initial system-design concept is also being prepared.
The issue came in response to a question by BJP MP Karthikeya Sharma, in which he had asked whether ISRO was studying the possibility of setting up actual physical data centers in space for on-orbit processing and storage of satellite and communications data. The department confirmed that ISRO is working on next generation satellite technology, with “on board data processing” and “data storage” being key areas.
The response said ISRO has conducted a preliminary assessment of on-board data processing and storage, and the study shows that it is possible to develop a proof of concept of ‘edge computing infrastructure’ in space. The Department of Space comes under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The department has said that it will be necessary to develop many new technologies before a fully developed system can be ready. These include a number of complex solutions, including in-orbit power generation, radiation-hardened GPU/CPU, and special protective shields for orbiting satellites.
Data centers on Earth consume huge amounts of electricity. That’s why data centers in space will need extremely energy-efficient technology, relying solely on solar power and battery backup. The biggest challenge for electronic devices in space is the high levels of radiation from which Earth’s atmosphere usually provides protection. Space data centers will therefore require specialized radiation-protection based hardware.
According to the ministry, if data processing facilities are available on satellites only, then only essential information will be sent to the earth. This will result in a huge reduction in latency, which can prove to be decisive in disaster management, strategic operations and other time-sensitive areas. In this way, the satellites will not only collect data but will also process it while in orbit, providing fast and accurate results on the ground.
Additionally, on-board data processing will allow communications satellites to facilitate in-orbit reconfiguration, meaning satellites can make changes to their communications capabilities and configuration while in space. The technology ISRO is studying is globally called Satellite Edge Computing or Space Edge Computing. In this model, computation and data storage are moved closer to where the data originates, in space, rather than sending each data to a centralized data center on Earth.
This initiative of ISRO can put India among the select countries that are shaping the future of space-based data processing. If success is achieved on these technical challenges, it could prove to be a step changing the definition of global satellite communications and data handling.
Also read:
US policies pose potential security threat to Europe and Denmark; Danish intelligence agency report
Madhya Pradesh: Gang luring tribals for religious conversion caught in Sehore
Muslim voters of Assam will not elect me whether I give ₹10,000 or ₹1 lakh: Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma
Comments are closed.