Session
Swifty Session 3
Location
Utah State University, Logan, UT
Abstract
HawkEye 360 is the world leader in RF signal monitoring and analytics from space. Its constellation of more than two dozen small satellites, each with a GPS time-synchronized on-board Software Defined Radio, enables it to record and monitor terrestrial RF signals emitted from anywhere on Earth, multiple times a day. The satellites fly in clusters of three each, in a tight orbital formation, enabling trilateration of emitters by observed time and frequency difference of arrival. RF signals come in such a wide variety in their applications and content, that from early on the spacecraft design was structured with flexibility in mind. All processing elements, e.g. microprocessors, FPGAs, embedded Linux computers, in the payload can be re-programmed safely on-orbit, by leaning on bootloaders or two-string redundancy, should an issue occur. Furthermore, TCP/IP and UDP/IP support on the payload communications link enables a flexible workflow with standard Linux network tools, for uplinking new firmware binaries during communications passes. In the past year, HawkEye 360 implemented a Continuous Integration (CI) system with Gitlab CI tools to facilitate automated Software in the Loop (SIL) and Hardware in the Loop (HIL) testing of these binaries, on the equipment in its flatsat lab of equivalent payload hardware. A Continuous Deployment (CD) system based on Mender, a software framework for over-the-air firmware updates developed initially for IoT devices, was adopted to facilitate automated synchronization and installation of new firmware binaries on-orbit. This talk and accompanying paper will describe the development and implementation of this CI/CD system and the new on-orbit functionality it has unlocked for the company.
HawkEye 360's CI/CD Approach to Automatic On-Orbit Firmware Updates
Utah State University, Logan, UT
HawkEye 360 is the world leader in RF signal monitoring and analytics from space. Its constellation of more than two dozen small satellites, each with a GPS time-synchronized on-board Software Defined Radio, enables it to record and monitor terrestrial RF signals emitted from anywhere on Earth, multiple times a day. The satellites fly in clusters of three each, in a tight orbital formation, enabling trilateration of emitters by observed time and frequency difference of arrival. RF signals come in such a wide variety in their applications and content, that from early on the spacecraft design was structured with flexibility in mind. All processing elements, e.g. microprocessors, FPGAs, embedded Linux computers, in the payload can be re-programmed safely on-orbit, by leaning on bootloaders or two-string redundancy, should an issue occur. Furthermore, TCP/IP and UDP/IP support on the payload communications link enables a flexible workflow with standard Linux network tools, for uplinking new firmware binaries during communications passes. In the past year, HawkEye 360 implemented a Continuous Integration (CI) system with Gitlab CI tools to facilitate automated Software in the Loop (SIL) and Hardware in the Loop (HIL) testing of these binaries, on the equipment in its flatsat lab of equivalent payload hardware. A Continuous Deployment (CD) system based on Mender, a software framework for over-the-air firmware updates developed initially for IoT devices, was adopted to facilitate automated synchronization and installation of new firmware binaries on-orbit. This talk and accompanying paper will describe the development and implementation of this CI/CD system and the new on-orbit functionality it has unlocked for the company.
