Satellite Configuration

Satellites are the basic unit of agent in the environment. Four things must be specified in subclasses of Satellite:

The observation_spec, which defines the satellite’s observation.
The action_spec, which defines the satellite’s actions.
The dyn_type, which selects the underlying dynamics model used in simulation.
The fsw_type, which selects the underlying flight software model.

A very simple satellite is defined below:

[1]:

from bsk_rl import sats, act, obs, scene, data, SatelliteTasking
from bsk_rl.sim import dyn, fsw
import numpy as np

from Basilisk.architecture import bskLogging
bskLogging.setDefaultLogLevel(bskLogging.BSK_WARNING)


class SimpleSatellite(sats.Satellite):
    observation_spec = [obs.Time()]  # Passed as list of instantiated classes
    action_spec = [act.Drift()]
    dyn_type = dyn.BasicDynamicsModel  # Passed as a type
    fsw_type = fsw.BasicFSWModel

Setting Satellite Parameters

Without instantiating the satellite, parameters that can be set in the various models can be inspected.

[2]:

SimpleSatellite.default_sat_args()

[2]:

{'hs_min': 0.0,
 'maxCounterValue': 4,
 'thrMinFireTime': 0.02,
 'desatAttitude': 'sun',
 'controlAxes_B': [1, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 1],
 'thrForceSign': 1,
 'K': 7.0,
 'Ki': -1,
 'P': 35.0,
 'utc_init': 'this value will be set by the world model',
 'batteryStorageCapacity': 288000.0,
 'storedCharge_Init': <function bsk_rl.sim.dyn.base.BasicDynamicsModel.<lambda>()>,
 'disturbance_vector': None,
 'dragCoeff': 2.2,
 'basePowerDraw': 0.0,
 'wheelSpeeds': <function bsk_rl.sim.dyn.base.BasicDynamicsModel.<lambda>()>,
 'maxWheelSpeed': inf,
 'u_max': 0.2,
 'rwBasePower': 0.4,
 'rwMechToElecEfficiency': 0.0,
 'rwElecToMechEfficiency': 0.5,
 'panelArea': 1.0,
 'panelEfficiency': 0.2,
 'nHat_B': array([ 0,  0, -1]),
 'mass': 330,
 'width': 1.38,
 'depth': 1.04,
 'height': 1.58,
 'sigma_init': <function bsk_rl.sim.dyn.base.BasicDynamicsModel.<lambda>()>,
 'omega_init': <function bsk_rl.sim.dyn.base.BasicDynamicsModel.<lambda>()>,
 'rN': None,
 'vN': None,
 'oe': <function bsk_rl.utils.orbital.random_orbit(i: Optional[float] = None, a: Optional[float] = 6871, e: float = 0, Omega: Optional[float] = None, omega: Optional[float] = None, f: Optional[float] = None, alt: float = None, r_body: float = 6371) -> Basilisk.utilities.orbitalMotion.ClassicElements>,
 'mu': 398600436000000.0,
 'thrusterPowerDraw': 0.0}

These parameters can be overriden when instantiating the satellite through the sat_args argument.

[3]:

sat = SimpleSatellite(
    name="SimpleSat-1",
    sat_args=dict(
        mass=300,  # Setting a constant value
        dragCoeff=lambda: np.random.uniform(2.0, 2.4),  # Setting a randomized value
    ),
)

Each time the simulation is reset, all of the function-based randomizers are called.

[4]:

sat.generate_sat_args()  # Called by the environment on reset()
sat.sat_args

[4]:

{'hs_min': 0.0,
 'maxCounterValue': 4,
 'thrMinFireTime': 0.02,
 'desatAttitude': 'sun',
 'controlAxes_B': [1, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 1],
 'thrForceSign': 1,
 'K': 7.0,
 'Ki': -1,
 'P': 35.0,
 'utc_init': 'this value will be set by the world model',
 'batteryStorageCapacity': 288000.0,
 'storedCharge_Init': 227464.15391508705,
 'disturbance_vector': None,
 'dragCoeff': 2.3177717605933026,
 'basePowerDraw': 0.0,
 'wheelSpeeds': array([-1252.59297692,  1267.52983717,  1425.17485251]),
 'maxWheelSpeed': inf,
 'u_max': 0.2,
 'rwBasePower': 0.4,
 'rwMechToElecEfficiency': 0.0,
 'rwElecToMechEfficiency': 0.5,
 'panelArea': 1.0,
 'panelEfficiency': 0.2,
 'nHat_B': array([ 0,  0, -1]),
 'mass': 300,
 'width': 1.38,
 'depth': 1.04,
 'height': 1.58,
 'sigma_init': array([0.59998816, 0.54286576, 0.64128969]),
 'omega_init': array([-6.21369486e-05,  7.60820775e-05, -8.84030701e-05]),
 'rN': None,
 'vN': None,
 'oe': <Basilisk.utilities.orbitalMotion.ClassicElements at 0x7ff6e2b3e890>,
 'mu': 398600436000000.0,
 'thrusterPowerDraw': 0.0}

As a result, each episode will have different randomized parameters:

[5]:

for _ in range(3):
    sat.generate_sat_args()  # Called by the environment on reset()
    print("New value of dragCoeff:", sat.sat_args["dragCoeff"])

New value of dragCoeff: 2.2767801968108796
New value of dragCoeff: 2.225115356021165
New value of dragCoeff: 2.2818127180913654

The Observation Specification

A variety of observation elements are available for satellites. Full documentation can be found here, but some commonly used elements are explored below.

Info: In these examples, obs_type=dict is passed to the Satellite constructor so that the observation is human readable. While some RL libraries support dictionary-based observations, the default return type - the numpy array format - is more typically used.

Satellite Properties

The most common type of observations is introspective; i.e. what is my current state? Any @property in the dyn_type or fsw_type of the satellite can be accessed using SatProperties.

[6]:

class SatPropsSatellite(sats.Satellite):
    observation_spec = [
        obs.SatProperties(
            # At a minimum, specify the property to observe
            dict(prop="wheel_speeds"),
            # You can specify the module to use for the observation, but it is not necessary
            # if only one module has for the property
            dict(prop="battery_charge_fraction", module="dynamics"),
            # Properties can be normalized by some constant. This is generally desirable
            # for RL algorithms to keep values around [-1, 1].
            dict(prop="r_BN_P", norm=7e6),
        )
    ]
    action_spec = [act.Drift()]
    dyn_type = dyn.BasicDynamicsModel
    fsw_type = fsw.BasicFSWModel

env = SatelliteTasking(
    satellite=SatPropsSatellite("PropSat-1", {}, obs_type=dict),
    log_level="CRITICAL",
)
observation, _ = env.reset()
observation

[6]:

{'sat_props': {'wheel_speeds': array([ 85.64762958,  85.08780986, -89.90836335]),
  'battery_charge_fraction': 0.7179194516876682,
  'r_BN_P_normd': array([ 0.07244422,  0.06318641, -0.976853  ])}}

In some cases, you may want to access a bespoke property that is not natively implemented in a model. To do that, simply extend the model with your desired property.

[7]:

class BespokeFSWModel(fsw.BasicFSWModel):
    @property
    def meaning_of_life(self):
        return 42

class BespokeSatPropsSatellite(sats.Satellite):
    observation_spec = [
        obs.SatProperties(dict(prop="meaning_of_life"))
    ]
    action_spec = [act.Drift()]
    dyn_type = dyn.BasicDynamicsModel
    fsw_type = BespokeFSWModel

env = SatelliteTasking(
    satellite=BespokeSatPropsSatellite("BespokeSat-1", {}, obs_type=dict),
    log_level="CRITICAL",
)
observation, _ = env.reset()
observation

[7]:

{'sat_props': {'meaning_of_life': 42.0}}

Alternatively, define the property with a function that takes the satellite object as an argument.

[8]:

class CustomSatPropsSatellite(sats.Satellite):
    observation_spec = [
        obs.SatProperties(dict(prop="meaning_of_life", fn=lambda sat: 42))
    ]
    action_spec = [act.Drift()]
    dyn_type = dyn.BasicDynamicsModel
    fsw_type = fsw.BasicFSWModel

env = SatelliteTasking(
    satellite=CustomSatPropsSatellite("BespokeSat-1", {}, obs_type=dict),
    log_level="CRITICAL",
)
observation, _ = env.reset()
observation

[8]:

{'sat_props': {'meaning_of_life': 42.0}}

Opportunity Properties

Another common input to the observation is information about upcoming locations that are being accessed by the satellite. Currently, these include ground stations for downlink and targets for imaging, but OpportunityProperties will work with any location added by add_location_for_access_checking. In these examples,

[9]:

class OppPropsSatellite(sats.ImagingSatellite):
    observation_spec = [
        obs.OpportunityProperties(
            # Properties can be added by some default names
            dict(prop="priority"),
            # They can also be normalized
            dict(prop="opportunity_open", norm=5700.0),
            # Or they can be specified by an arbitrary function
            dict(fn=lambda sat, opp: opp["r_LP_P"] + 42),
            n_ahead_observe=3,
        )
    ]
    action_spec = [act.Drift()]
    dyn_type = dyn.ImagingDynModel
    fsw_type = fsw.ImagingFSWModel

env = SatelliteTasking(
    satellite=OppPropsSatellite("OppSat-1", {}, obs_type=dict),
    scenario=scene.UniformTargets(1000),
    rewarder=data.UniqueImageReward(),
    log_level="CRITICAL",
)
observation, _ = env.reset()
observation

[9]:

{'target': {'target_0': {'priority': 0.24615174144959406,
   'opportunity_open_normd': 0.0008553222068523474,
   'prop_2': array([  955538.22629383, -6294201.16991546,  -387458.15196169])},
  'target_1': {'priority': 0.9054743258121466,
   'opportunity_open_normd': 0.020448298101276154,
   'prop_2': array([  130675.82064897, -6374017.32766582,  -186850.96551402])},
  'target_2': {'priority': 0.9429123410980595,
   'opportunity_open_normd': 0.023853251936507204,
   'prop_2': array([   -6759.98208368, -6362220.98017198,  -449613.41521535])}}}

Navigating the Observation

Usually, multiple observation types need to be composed to sufficiently represent the environment for the learning agent. Simply add multiple observations to the observation specification list to combine them in the observation.

[10]:

class ComposedObsSatellite(sats.Satellite):
    observation_spec = [
        obs.Eclipse(),
        obs.SatProperties(dict(prop="battery_charge_fraction"))
    ]
    action_spec = [act.Drift()]
    dyn_type = dyn.BasicDynamicsModel
    fsw_type = fsw.BasicFSWModel

env = SatelliteTasking(
    satellite=ComposedObsSatellite("PropSat-1", {}, obs_type=dict),
    log_level="CRITICAL",
)
observation, _ = env.reset()
observation

[10]:

{'eclipse': [np.float64(5010.0), np.float64(1380.0)],
 'sat_props': {'battery_charge_fraction': 0.5476827041738995}}

A few useful functions exist for inspecting the observation. The observation_space property of the satellite and the environment return a Gym observation space to describe the observation. In the single agent SatelliteTasking environment, these are the same.

Info: Here, we return to the ndarray default observation type.

[11]:

env = SatelliteTasking(
    satellite=ComposedObsSatellite("PropSat-1", {}),
    log_level="CRITICAL",
)
(env.observation_space, env.unwrapped.satellite.observation_space)

[11]:

(Box(-1e+16, 1e+16, (3,), float64), Box(-1e+16, 1e+16, (3,), float64))

With the flattened-vector type observation, it can be hard for the user to relate elements to specific observations.

[12]:

observation, _ = env.reset()
observation

[12]:

array([6.30000000e+02, 2.76000000e+03, 7.78350318e-01])

The observation_description property can help the user understand what elements are present in the observation.

[13]:

env.unwrapped.satellite.observation_description

[13]:

[np.str_('eclipse[0]'),
 np.str_('eclipse[1]'),
 np.str_('sat_props.battery_charge_fraction')]

The Action Specification

The action specification works similarly to observation specification. A list of actions is set in the class definition of the satellite.

[14]:

class ActionSatellite(sats.Satellite):
    observation_spec = [obs.Time()]
    action_spec = [
        # If action duration is not set, the environment max_step_duration will be used;
        # however, being explicit is always preferable
        act.Charge(duration=120.0),
        act.Desat(duration=60.0),
        # One action can be included multiple time, if different settings are desired
        act.Charge(duration=600.0,),
    ]
    dyn_type = dyn.BasicDynamicsModel
    fsw_type = fsw.BasicFSWModel

env = SatelliteTasking(
    satellite=ActionSatellite("ActSat-1", {}, obs_type=dict),
    log_level="INFO",
)
env.reset()

# Try each action; index corresponds to the order of addition
_ =env.step(0)
_ =env.step(1)
_ =env.step(2)

2025-07-14 22:36:12,364                                WARNING    Creating logger for new env on PID=5606. Old environments in process may now log times incorrectly.
2025-07-14 22:36:12,524 gym                            INFO       Resetting environment with seed=3802350107
2025-07-14 22:36:12,808 gym                            INFO       <0.00> Environment reset
2025-07-14 22:36:12,809 gym                            INFO       <0.00> === STARTING STEP ===
2025-07-14 22:36:12,809 sats.satellite.ActSat-1        INFO       <0.00> ActSat-1: action_charge tasked for 120.0 seconds
2025-07-14 22:36:12,810 sats.satellite.ActSat-1        INFO       <0.00> ActSat-1: setting timed terminal event at 120.0
2025-07-14 22:36:12,823 sats.satellite.ActSat-1        INFO       <120.00> ActSat-1: timed termination at 120.0 for action_charge
2025-07-14 22:36:12,823 data.base                      INFO       <120.00> Total reward: {}
2025-07-14 22:36:12,824 comm.communication             INFO       <120.00> Optimizing data communication between all pairs of satellites
2025-07-14 22:36:12,824 sats.satellite.ActSat-1        INFO       <120.00> ActSat-1: Satellite ActSat-1 requires retasking
2025-07-14 22:36:12,825 gym                            INFO       <120.00> Step reward: 0.0
2025-07-14 22:36:12,826 gym                            INFO       <120.00> === STARTING STEP ===
2025-07-14 22:36:12,826 sats.satellite.ActSat-1        INFO       <120.00> ActSat-1: action_desat tasked for 60.0 seconds
2025-07-14 22:36:12,827 sats.satellite.ActSat-1        INFO       <120.00> ActSat-1: setting timed terminal event at 180.0
2025-07-14 22:36:12,836 sats.satellite.ActSat-1        INFO       <180.00> ActSat-1: timed termination at 180.0 for action_desat
2025-07-14 22:36:12,836 data.base                      INFO       <180.00> Total reward: {}
2025-07-14 22:36:12,837 comm.communication             INFO       <180.00> Optimizing data communication between all pairs of satellites
2025-07-14 22:36:12,837 sats.satellite.ActSat-1        INFO       <180.00> ActSat-1: Satellite ActSat-1 requires retasking
2025-07-14 22:36:12,838 gym                            INFO       <180.00> Step reward: 0.0
2025-07-14 22:36:12,839 gym                            INFO       <180.00> === STARTING STEP ===
2025-07-14 22:36:12,839 sats.satellite.ActSat-1        INFO       <180.00> ActSat-1: action_charge tasked for 600.0 seconds
2025-07-14 22:36:12,840 sats.satellite.ActSat-1        INFO       <180.00> ActSat-1: setting timed terminal event at 780.0
2025-07-14 22:36:12,905 sats.satellite.ActSat-1        INFO       <780.00> ActSat-1: timed termination at 780.0 for action_charge
2025-07-14 22:36:12,906 data.base                      INFO       <780.00> Total reward: {}
2025-07-14 22:36:12,906 comm.communication             INFO       <780.00> Optimizing data communication between all pairs of satellites
2025-07-14 22:36:12,907 sats.satellite.ActSat-1        INFO       <780.00> ActSat-1: Satellite ActSat-1 requires retasking
2025-07-14 22:36:12,908 gym                            INFO       <780.00> Step reward: 0.0

As with the observations, properties exist to help understand the actions available.

[15]:

env.action_space

[15]:

Discrete(3)

[16]:

env.unwrapped.satellite.action_description

[16]:

['action_charge', 'action_desat', 'action_charge']

Some actions take additional configurations, add multiple actions to the satellite, and/or have “special” features that are useful for manually interacting with the environment. For example, the imaging action can add an arbitrary number of actions corresponding to upcoming targets and process the name of a target directly instead of operating by action index.

[17]:

class ImageActSatellite(sats.ImagingSatellite):
    observation_spec = [obs.Time()]
    action_spec = [
        # Set the number of upcoming targets to consider
        act.Image(n_ahead_image=3)
    ]
    dyn_type = dyn.ImagingDynModel
    fsw_type = fsw.ImagingFSWModel

env = SatelliteTasking(
    satellite=ImageActSatellite("ActSat-2", {}),
    scenario=scene.UniformTargets(1000),
    rewarder=data.UniqueImageReward(),
    log_level="INFO",
)
env.reset()

env.unwrapped.satellite.action_description

2025-07-14 22:36:12,925                                WARNING    Creating logger for new env on PID=5606. Old environments in process may now log times incorrectly.
2025-07-14 22:36:13,052 gym                            INFO       Resetting environment with seed=34916098
2025-07-14 22:36:13,053 scene.targets                  INFO       Generating 1000 targets
2025-07-14 22:36:13,148 gym                            INFO       <0.00> Environment reset

[17]:

['action_image_0', 'action_image_1', 'action_image_2']

Demonstrating the action overload feature, we task the satellite based on target name. While this is not part of the official Gym API, we find it useful in certain cases.

[18]:

target = env.unwrapped.satellite.find_next_opportunities(n=10)[9]["object"]
_ = env.step(target)

2025-07-14 22:36:13,155 sats.satellite.ActSat-2        INFO       <0.00> ActSat-2: Finding opportunity windows from 0.00 to 600.00 seconds
2025-07-14 22:36:13,191 gym                            INFO       <0.00> === STARTING STEP ===
2025-07-14 22:36:13,191 act.discrete_actions           WARNING    <0.00> Action 'Target(tgt-516)' is not an integer. Will attempt to use compatible set_action_override method.
2025-07-14 22:36:13,192 sats.satellite.ActSat-2        INFO       <0.00> ActSat-2: Target(tgt-516) tasked for imaging
2025-07-14 22:36:13,194 sats.satellite.ActSat-2        INFO       <0.00> ActSat-2: Target(tgt-516) window enabled: 452.7 to 547.3
2025-07-14 22:36:13,194 sats.satellite.ActSat-2        INFO       <0.00> ActSat-2: setting timed terminal event at 547.3
2025-07-14 22:36:13,305 sats.satellite.ActSat-2        INFO       <455.00> ActSat-2: imaged Target(tgt-516)
2025-07-14 22:36:13,308 data.base                      INFO       <455.00> Total reward: {'ActSat-2': 0.6030919126821398}
2025-07-14 22:36:13,309 comm.communication             INFO       <455.00> Optimizing data communication between all pairs of satellites
2025-07-14 22:36:13,311 sats.satellite.ActSat-2        INFO       <455.00> ActSat-2: Satellite ActSat-2 requires retasking
2025-07-14 22:36:13,312 gym                            INFO       <455.00> Step reward: 0.6030919126821398