Common ground control system (CGCS) to support autonomous object observation, collection, and response in multi-domain environments

The use of Unmanned Systems (UxS) for multi-domain environments is both appropriate and desirable. In such an environment, a diverse set of space, air, surface, subsurface, and cyber-based assets need to collaborate to maximize the chance of a mission being successful. Present solutions require one-to-one control segment and vehicle pairing, thereby creating issues for size constrained environments. These solutions also lack single operator mission situational awareness and require that the operator focus on single vehicle performance versus mission execution. An integrated solution is required to allow for effective collaboration. This paper presents a new Common Ground Control System (CGCS) approach to fill the above technology gap in order to support multiple mission goals (e.g., object observation, collection, and response). This capability includes a new process through which a single user can orchestrate a fleet of diverse multi-domain assets using goal based missions. This novel approach reduces the user's cognitive workload removing the one-to-one bottleneck, which in turn significantly reduces the overall cost for mission execution.