LOS ANGELES – Artificial intelligence, quantum computing and nuclear power are among the key technologies Lockheed Martin believes will be important for future space missions.
Through a project called “Destination: Space 2050,” Lockheed Martin executives are exploring, for example, how AI can aid scientific exploration of places where communication with remote sensors is disrupted by latency. there is
In this kind of environment, “you can’t really interact with the robotic sensors,” David Luckner, senior manager of strategy and business development at Lockheed Martin, said during a June 28 webinar. “We need something super-autonomous that can deal with the unknown unknown. You will be able to encounter , very intelligently.”
Orla Roy, Lockheed Martin deputy program manager for the multi-slit solar explorer mission, known as MUSE, said AI also has important applications for remote sensing data.
Data collected by hundreds or even thousands of satellites traveling in different orbits can provide “a vast amount of information that cannot be parsed by any human operator,” Roy said. Stated. “The goal is to use AI to make truly optimal and trustworthy decisions from raw data.” This may not be intuitive.
In the future, “we will have to rely on AI augmenting human decision makers at all levels of command with advanced AI data processing and course-of-action generation to support all kinds of operations,” Roy said. said.
quantum computing
Additionally, Lockheed Martin’s Space 2050 report focuses on quantum computing, quantum communications and quantum remote sensing technologies.
“Quantum-powered computing infrastructure will be there for us in the 2050 timeframe,” said Lackner.
As a result, Lockheed Martin is developing “quantum algorithms to take advantage of quantum computers, quantum remote sensing and quantum communications,” Lackner said. “Certain space applications of quantum will greatly enable what we want to do.”
Nuclear Power, Crew Residence and Transfer
Advances in power and propulsion, including nuclear technology, “will be absolutely critical in dramatically improving the types of missions that can be performed and the types of science that can be collected,” Lockheed Martin said. Vice President Kate Watts said. Mission strategy and advanced capabilities for human and scientific exploration. “Producing high power, a significant improvement in his ISP related to propulsion has improved manoeuvrability.”
By 2050, more people will travel to low-Earth orbit, not just the Moon and Mars, creating demand for lunar habitats and vehicles.
“When you’re in another world, you need to be able to move around, modify things, change surfaces as needed,” Watts said. “To manage science with machines capable of doing things like we do on Earth, we need to give the crew autonomy.”
commercial opportunity of the month
“By 2050, we believe we will have regular commercial delivery services for both cargo and people from the Earth to the Moon and back,” said Joe Landon, CEO of Crescent Space. said. Lockheed Martin launched Crescent Space earlier this year to provide lunar communications and navigation services.
On the moon, the crew “will be able to discover, extract and process valuable resources to create fuel, sustain life and support human activity,” Landon said.
“Every space mission today has to be completely self-sufficient, carry everything you need, and be prepared for any eventuality,” Landon said. “So even the smallest missions and capabilities end up being very complex and costly.”
Achieving Lockheed Martin’s Space 2050 vision will require new infrastructure, including computing power on the moon.
Providing access to cloud computing on the moon will enable both governments and private companies to play a greater economic role in space. Buyers will no longer need to buy and maintain large assets, but will be able to buy features as they need them, Lackner said.
Lockheed Martin chose 2050 as the target for its technology report, it said, because that deadline is far enough “before we can develop truly disruptive technologies and capabilities.” said Nelson Pedreiro, vice president of Lockheed Martin’s Space Advanced Technology Center.
