AI4FDIR

AI4FDIR

AI-based system for fault detection, recovery, and resource management in satellites

AI4FDIR

AI4FDIR is an ESA-funded project led by OHB System AG to develop an AI-based framework for autonomous fault detection, isolation, and recovery (FDIR), as well as constellation-level management and resource optimization in satellite telecommunication systems. By combining machine learning, deep learning, and neuromorphic computing, the project targets a tenfold reduction in both operational outage time and the time to restore nominal service. The consortium—comprising OHB DC, OHB Hellas, SATE, Kepler, and fortiss—will validate the approach through simulators and hardware-in-the-loop platforms, including BrainChip’s Akida neuromorphic processors. fortiss will implement a neuromorphic proof-of-concept for spacecraft-level FDIR.

Project description

The project addresses the need for greater autonomy in managing large satellite constellations, where traditional ground-based fault management is costly, slow, and increasingly impractical. The main challenge is to detect, isolate, and resolve failures on board in real time, while predicting potential degradations before they affect service.

To tackle this, the consortium combines advanced AI methods with neuromorphic hardware, enabling fast, low-power decision-making directly on spacecraft. This proof-of-concept approach will demonstrate how predictive monitoring and autonomous recovery can reduce outage and restoration times by an order of magnitude and pave the way for resilient, self-managing space systems.

Research contribution

fortiss will investigate CNN-based classification and detection algorithms on the BrainChip Akida platform. In addition, we will explore pattern-matching techniques, encoders, and complementary network architectures to process heterogeneous multi-channel inputs. As a first step, we will use the public ESA anomaly dataset to identify suitable network models for fault detection. Building on these results, we will validate the implemented algorithms using real-time data from Kepler and the OHB constellation simulator.

Project duration

01.11.2019 - 31.12.2020

Dr. Axel von Arnim

Your contact

Dr. Axel von Arnim

+49 89 3603522 538
vonarnim@fortiss.org

 Priyadarshini Kannan

Your contact

Priyadarshini Kannan

+49 89 3603522 275
kannan@fortiss.org

Project partner