Towards a full stack Extended Reality Software Platform (ESP™) for space mission planning, implementation, and training with an open architecture based on NVIDIA Omniverse™

Future space missions, especially for In-Space Assembly and Manufacturing (ISAM) and In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU), require complex interactions between robotic and human teams. Such missions necessitate meticulous design, simulation, and validation before actual execution. Monitoring and Support, with AI/ML to provide alerts and alarms and humans in the loop (HITL) for advice and support will help mission implementation. In turn Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) sensor inputs can provide not only "current state" information but also enable downstream Digital Twin (DT) updates as well as data input to documentation for design, evaluation, and simulation for next steps and future missions. In principle this work should enable smart assembly and manufacturing in cis-Lunar space and on Luna and other surfaces. Extended Reality (XR), encompassing Virtual (VR), Mixed (MR), and Augmented Reality (AR), offers a powerful tool to create visually rich and physically precise 3D simulations in real-time to mm accuracy where required. XR simulations not only visualize assets still in the design and fabrication stages but also provide an advanced environment for validating mission procedures, human interactions, and teleoperation protocols. And matching desired state with actual sensor input can help optimize field performance to achieve mission and process goals. Our ESP platform is designed around Nvidia Omniverse (TM) for highest visual fidelity and fastest hardware execution using enterprise-grade software. The functional modules are designed to enhance mission planning, implementation, training, monitoring, support, and documentation processes. Moreover, Digital Twins for critical infrastructure, habitats, power systems, space robotics, etc. can be integrated with remote sensors and edge computing for optimal teleoperation as well as planning and training for follow on missions. Professionals managing mission implementation can benefit from initial training in XR environments that closely mirrors actual operations, enabling optimization for least energy path, least time path, least risk path etc. with potential major risk reduction during the execution of planned procedures.