Vast amounts of data from satellites flow into satellite ground stations for processing and distribution. That data needs to be stored temporarily and processed before being distributed.
Industry estimates indicate that each Earth Orbiting satellite generates about 100 terabytes of data daily. To make effective use of that much data, government and civilian users need ground station solutions that deliver robust storage and high performance. Providers of Ground Station as a Service (GSaaS) likewise need the ability to store data for different customers in a multi-tenant environment, and to deliver that data at speed.
Challenges in satellite ground stations data storage
A number of data management challenges come into play here. For instance, satellites used for Earth observation can generate hundreds of gigabytes of data during each pass over a ground station. This raises issues with data buffering. Due to the limited communication window with the satellite during a flyover, the ground station needs to temporarily store all of that data until it can be fully transmitted. Existing solutions can lack the temporary data storage capability needed to handle peaks in data passes.
Before distribution, the raw data often needs to be processed, analyzed, and formatted: This requires storage space to work with the data in real-time. Given the vast size of these data sets, scalability can also become an issue. Ground station operators need scalable storage systems that can accommodate data bursts and lag without loss.
For example, NASA’s ground system is responsible for collecting and distributing this mission-critical data. Challenges arise, including the location of ground assets relative to mission orbit parameters, budget limitations, data distribution, and latency requirements. The agency needs robust data storage and archiving, powerful data processing and analysis capabilities, and the ability to make satellite data publicly available to researchers and the scientific community.
On the civilian side, satellite ground stations receive weather data, support internet connectivity, help to monitor environmental changes, and support disaster relief efforts, among other missions. A number of technology companies and commercial cloud providers offer GSaaS in support of these use cases. And just as with government users, GSaaS providers need strong storage and data processing capabilities in order to support end users’ mission needs.
Cost factors in here as well. This is particularly true given the need for satellite ground stations to capture, store, and process such large amounts of data. As an example, NASA’s Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) and NASA-ISRO SAR Mission (NISAR) missions expected to create an archive of more than 245 petabytes of data. The space agency already spends around $65 million annually on satellite data storage, including cloud services (like AWS) that has the potential to increase as data volume grows.
On the civilian side, the cost of storing satellite data generally ranges from $0.2 to $1.5 per GB per month, with high-resolution satellite imagery costing more. Cloud providers bring, added cost factors including: charges for API requests, data transfers, monitoring, and maintenance. These fast-growing data management costs have a real-world business impact, potentially straining budgets at a time when the availability of satellite data is critical to empowering both commercial and governmental mission sets.
If multi-tenanting is involved, then the GSaaS provider needs to separate the data by customer and charge accordingly. Data playback is another consideration. Providers need to be able to serve up separate streams of customer data concurrently. This allows customers to access their data anytime and from anywhere.
Given the cost and complexity of managing data in satellite ground stations, a more efficient solution is urgently needed.
How SensorXpress helps
Axellio allows you to tackle satellite data processing with high-speed read/write data capabilities and a large database storage capability. SensorXpress delivers scalable, simultaneous RF data recording and distribution at more than 200 Gbps in a 1 RU solution and can expand to handle larger data rates.
As the instantaneous bandwidth of next-generation receivers continues to expand, the amount of collected RF data has grown to levels that ground stations may struggle to reliably store, distribute, and analyze. A software-based data recording and distribution solution, SensorXpress can simultaneously ingest, store, and distribute RF data at the speeds needed to effectively support mission-critical activities for government and civilian users.
Axellio’s high-intake solution connects directly with the collection platform or sensor through high-speed interfaces to ingest and store data for hours and days — up to 1.2 petabytes in a 1 RU implementation with the ability to rack and stack for even higher local storage. Axellio’s patented storage architecture allows for the simultaneous distribution of multiple data streams to analysis applications directly from disk at speeds exceeding 300 Gbps.
For government and commercial organizations that depend on satellite ground stations, SensorXpress offers a way forward, enabling ground station operators and GSaaS providers to store mission-critical data cost effectively and to and disseminate it at speed. More information on SensorXpress is available on the Axellio website.
Managing satellite data efficiency is crucial for both governmental and civilian satellite ground stations. As data volumes continue to grow, it’s clear that innovative storage solutions are needed to address the challenges of today and prepare for those of tomorrow.