Mars Global Monitoring & Infrastructure Constellation
A systems-level study of a fault-tolerant, cognitive-sensing orbital constellation designed as shared planetary infrastructure.
Sentinel Network explores a fundamentally different approach to Mars orbital infrastructure: a dense, resilient constellation that combines global synoptic monitoring with onboard cognitive intelligence to deliver persistent awareness, low-latency decision support, and graceful degradation under failure.
Rather than relying on a small number of high-value relay orbiters, Sentinel distributes capability across 168 satellites, each carrying a dual-layer cognitive payload (wide-field global sensors + narrow-field AI-triggered inspection). The system is designed to operate as planetary infrastructure — supporting multiple users, missions, and operators over multi-decade lifetimes while maintaining performance even under significant satellite loss.
This repository contains the open simulations, analyses, and visualizations that define and validate the v4.6 architecture.
- Dual-layer cognitive payload on every satellite (global synoptic + AI-gated narrow-field inspection)
- Closed-loop autonomy — onboard AI that detects, classifies, prioritizes, and retasks faster than light time to Earth
- Extreme fault tolerance — graceful degradation even under 75% satellite loss
- Long-term infrastructure behavior — 10+ year power/compute degradation modeling with adaptive modes
- Radiation-adaptive intelligence — AI and sensors intelligently throttle or safe themselves during SEP events
- End-to-end latency modeling — from event on Mars surface to actionable awareness on Earth
Sentinel is not just a communications relay. It is a planetary nervous system with onboard decision-making capability.
| Metric | Performance | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Mean global revisit (nominal) | ~1.0–1.5 minutes | Wide-FOV MARCI-class sensors |
| Mean global revisit (75% loss) | Still under 10 minutes | Extreme resilience demonstrated |
| End-to-end awareness latency | Minutes to low hours | Even in catastrophic scenarios |
| Decision/retasking latency | Seconds (local) to minutes (global) | Faster than light time |
| Propulsion-limited lifetime | 40+ years | With conservative margins |
| Worst-case stacked failure survival | Survives (battery >0%) | Dust + eclipse + 500× SEP + 43% loss |
Sentinel-Network/
├── README.md
├── LICENSE
├── scripts/ # Polished analysis scripts
├── figures/ # Generated plots and animations
├── docs/ # Architecture notes
└── simulations/ # Original/raw versions + reference files
Core Principles
Fault tolerance by design — No single satellite is mission-critical
Graceful degradation — Performance declines predictably, never catastrophically
Closed-loop autonomy — Onboard AI makes decisions without waiting for Earth
Infrastructure-first — Built for long-term, multi-user, multi-mission use
Conservative modeling — All analyses intentionally use pessimistic assumptions
Project Status
v4.6 Complete — Full systems-level modeling suite finished.
This is an open technical study. All scripts, models, and visualizations are released for review, critique, extension, and reuse.
License
MIT License — reuse, modify, and extend freely with attribution.