Planning On-Board Satellites for the Goal-Based Operations for Space Missions

The operation of space missions through the sending of goals, instead of sequences of commands, is an emerging paradigm. In this form of operation, the satellite is responsible for the planning and scheduling of its tasks, determining the best way to achieve the goals received. This kind of operation has the potential to improve the usage of the resources available in the space segment, and also makes possible for satellites to autonomously respond to anomalies and opportunities detected in orbit. This paper presents an architecture for on-board software that aims to enable the adoption of such paradigm in future missions of the Brazilian National Institute for Space Research (INPE). A case study for an INPE mission was created and executed in a prototype for a satellite's on-board computer. The study is summarized in this paper, together with performance data.