Digital twin successfully launched and deployed into space

A dynamic digital twin designed by UC Davis researchers was launched into Earth's orbit last week aboard a SpaceX rocket. The innovation, which will model the current condition and predict the future condition of the spacecraft's power system, was carried by a Proteus Space satellite and is the first of its kind to be sent into space.

The rocket was launched Nov. 28 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County.

The digital twin is UC Davis' first satellite payload, developed by researchers in Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Stephen Robinson's Human/Robotics/Vehicle Integration and Performance Laboratory, or HRVIP Lab, and Associate Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Xinfan Lin's Energy Systems Automation and Integration Lab.

Adam Zufall, a Ph.D. student in mechanical and aerospace engineering and project lead, has received the first dataset from the payload, confirming it is operating as expected. The digital twin is expected to continue sending data on the system's state of health over the next month, with the possibility of an extended mission for up to a year.

One month of data is enough to meet the mission's goals. The fact that the satellite was deployed and activated successfully, however, was an achievement in itself for Zufall and team member Ayush Patnaik, a Ph.D. student in mechanical and aerospace engineering. They both watched the launch via SpaceX's livestream.

"The launch itself had been delayed multiple times, so we were carrying lots of built-up anticipation," Patnaik said. "It was a huge relief when the announcement finally came through, confirming successful separation from SpaceX and Proteus Space and that the payload had been deployed exactly as planned."