Ascending Node Technologies Unveils Mission Visualization Software

Ascending Node Technologies announced the launch of their groundbreaking mission-visualization software, Spaceline, at the SmallSat conference today.

The innovative web-based suite of data analysis and visualization tools is designed to enhance collaboration from the initial mission design phase through to operations and post-mission review.

A Revolutionary Tool for Space Missions

Spaceline’s capabilities were first tested on NASA’s Aspera mission. Aspera is a 60-kilogram satellite set to study the evolution of galaxies and is slated for launch to low-Earth orbit in 2026.

“Our University of Arizona space team is thrilled to be working with Ascending Node Technologies and leading NASA’s Aspera astrophysics mission that seeks to solve the mysteries surrounding how galaxies evolve and obtain fuel for the formation of stars. Spaceline is a mission-critical tool that’s enabling us to simulate, collaborate, and walk through multiple precision iterations of the operation years before we launch.” - Carlos Vargas, University of Arizona Astronomer and Aspera Principal Investigator

Spaceline Founding

The founders of Ascending Node Technologies conceived the idea for Spaceline during their work on NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission, which focused on the Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security – Regolith Explorer.

The challenge of synchronizing data and geometries for a globally dispersed team sparked the need for a more effective solution.

“Our team was all over the world and it was difficult getting everybody’s geometries and data synchronized to collaborate effectively. The solution back then was similar to Dropbox, where people would drop files in. For a mission that size, you’re talking thousands of files, naming conventions that weren’t adhered to and formats coming from left field.” - Sanford Selznick, Ascending Node Technologies’ Chief Software Architect

In response to these challenges, Selznick, alongside Carl Hergenrother, OSIRIS-REx Astronomy Working Group lead, and John Kidd, OSIRIS-Rex senior science operations planning engineer, founded Ascending Node Technologies in 2018. They aimed to create software that would run on the web, allowing teams worldwide to share information and view results almost instantly.

“We developed software that could run on the web and allow teams from all over the world to share their information and see their results almost immediately...We knew we’d need a pretty intense server architecture, a first-class website and tons of security.” - Sanford Selznick, Ascending Node Technologies’ Chief Software Architect

Enhancing Collaboration and Data Management

Spaceline enables users to control data inputs, inspect data, collaborate, and make informed judgments to improve mission plans.

“If you don’t have this crystal-ball-like thing, you’re going to end up building a lot of stuff from scratch,” - Sanford Selznick, Ascending Node Technologies’ Chief Software Architect

The development and testing of Spaceline have been supported by NASA Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) awards. A recent SBIR award facilitated the expansion of Spaceline, allowing “hundreds of users” to simultaneously analyze, iterate, and discuss mission simulations and flight data.

Broad Applications Beyond Small Satellites

While initially designed for small satellite missions, Spaceline’s applications extend to larger missions as well.

“We routinely tested Spaceline against the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and OSIRIS-REx,...We can handle hundreds of maneuvers and attitude changes a day without any issues whatsoever.” - Sanford Selznick, Ascending Node Technologies’ Chief Software Architect

The robustness of Spaceline for large missions is partly attributed to its integration with Amazon Web Services (AWS).

Ascending Node Technologies joined the AWS Partner Network in 2023, which has significantly bolstered their server architecture and security.

Spaceline is poised to become an indispensable tool for space mission teams worldwide, facilitating seamless collaboration and efficient data management from the ground up. As missions like Aspera prepare for launch, the impact of Spaceline on the future of space exploration looks promising.