What you need to know
- NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory uses Azure Quantum to efficiently plan schedules for communication with spacecraft through the Deep Space Network.
- Azure Quantum was used to reduce the needed time to create a schedule from two hours to approximately two minutes.
- The Deep Space Network is used to communicate with the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover and the James Webb Space Telescope.
Microsoft's Azure Quantum is being used to improve the scheduling of communication with spacecraft such as the James Webb Space Telescope. In order to communicate with spacecraft, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) uses the Deep Space Network (DSN), which is a network of radio antennae in California, Spain, and Australia.
Scheduling time on the DSN is complicated due to several constraints and the fact that the network receives hundreds of requests each week. Microsoft explains how its Azure Quantum is being used to streamline the scheduling process in a recent blog post.
Since the DSN has antennae around the globe, it can constantly communicate with spacecraft. But as the number of spacecraft increases and missions become more complex, it becomes more difficult to meet the demand for key communication.
Microsoft's team recorded runtimes of at least two hours when it first looked into the scheduling situation. Using Azure Quantum, the required time was lowered to 16 minutes. A custom solution further brought the time needed down to approximately two minutes.
Despite relating to communication through space, Microsoft notes that the lessons learned through this project can apply to situations on earth.
This isn't the first time that Microsoft has helped speed up tasks related to spacecraft. HoloLens 2 headsets have helped NASA workers complete tasks in 45 minutes that originally took eight hours. The International Space Station also uses Microsoft Azure for data processing.
