In this interview, Daniel Novak (ADS) explains the development of the innovative Domino architecture and its impact on the future of satellite missions. Explore how Europe’s space industry is setting new standards in aerospace technology. Gain valuable insights into the strategies transforming collaboration and integration within the industry.
Daniel Nowak is a project manager at ADS in Toulouse, where he led the Domino-X project. This initiative was the starting point for the development of the Domino architecture, which was shaped in collaboration of various companies. While the project began with partners in France, its scope has since expanded significantly across Europe. Daniel successfully led the project to its conclusion, laying the foundation for the future of Domino developments. Domino-E is one of the follow-up projects in which the Domino architecture is being extended by three Domino’s.
How would you describe the Domino architecture to someone new to Earth observation—what makes it such a game-changer?
“Earth observation missions often involve highly complex ground segments. On the ground, there are antennas and the systems required to control them. In addition, operation rooms are staffed with teams responsible for satellite operations, including communication, control, and monitoring the satellite’s health. There are also other functions that bridge the gap between the satellite and the end-users who rely on its data. These users request specific images or tasks from the satellite to meet their needs.
The key challenge lies in coordinating all these different ground-based functions. Our goal is to establish a common standard within the community, much like the IT industry did with USB. By creating a unified approach, we can ensure that all these essential components seamlessly connect and work together, regardless of who develops them. We‘re focused on creating a standardized framework that makes it easy to integrate various technologies, allowing multiple stakeholders to collaborate and contribute their best solutions. This approach will lead to a more cohesive, end-to-end system that ultimately delivers the highest quality and value for the customer.”
Is the Domino architecture already making waves in the industry? How do you see its recognition growing?
„Hopefully that will be the case in the future. But there’s certainly a dynamic now to, you know, adopt and be known by more and more actors in Europe, but maybe even outside Europe.”
What inspired the creation of the Domino architecture—what were the key insights that led to its development?
“We made several key observations. Over the past decades, we noticed that in every observation program, the ground segment consistently includes the same core functions: mission programming, payload data processing, mission control, supervision, and so forth. However, we also observed that each time, teams were redeveloping the entire architecture from scratch, even though that’s not where the real value lies. We realized it would be far more efficient if we could all agree on a standardized way to organize the architecture, allowing everyone to focus on enhancing the specific functions rather than reinventing the interfaces. That was our first major insight.
Looking toward the future of Earth observation, we see that constellations will become increasingly complex and diverse, with optical, radar, hyperspectral, and other types of satellites, each with its own ground segment. Some customers are also looking for more collaborative consortia, where multiple companies work together. This reinforced our conclusion that if we standardize how we structure the ground segment for these missions, it will be much easier to integrate and scale systems.
We also observed a growing trend towards cloud deployment—both public and private. Given the sensitive nature of some of our missions, we expect a shift toward hybrid solutions. For instance, certain elements like control centers may remain on private premises, while functions like payload data processing, which require peak performance, could benefit from the scalability of a public cloud. The flexibility to deploy in different environments based on cost and efficiency will be crucial. We believe that if we can agree on interfaces that are independent of the deployment location, it would enable seamless integration. This would allow one team to develop and deploy a solution on private infrastructure while another team deploys the data processing on a public cloud, all within a unified architecture.
This is the direction we’re moving in and the reasoning behind our approach.”
Can you break down the concept of a ‘Domino’ for us? What sets it apart, and why is it so critical to the overall architecture?
“A Domino is defined by its autonomy, its ability to be easily monitored, and its size—balanced to make it both technically and commercially attractive for companies to develop.
One of the most important is its autonomy. This means that if the software component has all the data and inputs it needs, it can independently produce all the outputs without relying on other systems.
Another feature is that it’s data-driven. This means the Domino can operate as soon as the data arrives, without needing a central system to tell it what to do. Its ability to function independently makes it a crucial part of the system.
When designing the architecture, we also considered the size of each Domino. It shouldn’t be too small, like a function that just adds A and B—that wouldn’t be very valuable for a company. But it also shouldn’t be too large, like making the whole ground segment into one or two Domino’s. The goal is to make each Domino the right size, big enough to be of interest for a company to develop but still focused on a specific set of tasks.
We divided the Domino’s based on different skill sets. For example, processing payload data requires a different expertise than controlling and commanding satellites. By splitting the Domino’s this way, companies can focus on their specific areas of expertise, whether it’s payload data or satellite control.
We also made deliberate choices about what to include in each Domino. For instance, we kept the database for payload data separate from the one for telemetry and satellite configuration data because they require different skills and attract different businesses. This way, companies can specialize in their strengths.”
With the Domino-X project kicking off in 2020 and Domino-E in 2022, where do things stand today? Are we seeing real progress in the adoption of Dominoes?
“In the first years, we focused on laying the foundation, figuring out exactly how we wanted to approach things. Now, three to four years in, we’re seeing real progress with the development of Domino’s.
Some companies have already embraced the concept and are creating Domino-compliant products or even selling systems that incorporate Dominoes. We never expected that everyone would suddenly switch to making their products Domino-compliant overnight. However, there is a noticeable momentum. We see several companies, including startups and SMEs, actively working to align their products with the Domino approach, adapting and innovating to meet the new standards.
What’s the vision for the future of the Domino program? Where do you see it heading, and what are the key milestones?
“Our goal is to expand the adoption of Domino-based ground segments across more missions. To do this, we’re putting a lot of effort into engaging the big system integrators, who play a significant role in shaping ground segment requirements. We’re also reaching out to smaller players because their participation is crucial. If they adopt the Domino concept, it will naturally encourage the entire supply chain to follow suit.
We’ve also been collaborating closely with agencies, particularly the European Space Agency (ESA). ESA’s Copernicus missions, where the payload data processing is handled by ESRIN near Rome, have served as a major source of inspiration for us. Their ground segment systems operate very similarly to our Domino approach, with a focus on autonomy and clear component segmentation. We’ve taken their model and extended it to encompass the entire ground segment.
Our goal is to get more agencies, including ESA, as well as other European agencies from countries like France and Germany, on board with this initiative. We believe that if they see industry support growing for the Domino approach, they might be willing to join us or even take a leading role. Once we achieve broader buy-in from these major stakeholders, I’m confident we’ll reach a tipping point where the adoption of Domino principles will accelerate naturally, with more and more companies aligning with this approach.”
For small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), what makes the Domino architecture a game-changer? How does it open up new opportunities for them in the space industry?
“It increases the accessible pie to them, actually, Adopting this approach broadens business opportunities, especially for smaller players, by making more complex Earth observation missions accessible to them. These larger missions often come with higher levels of complexity and stricter reliability requirements, especially in cases like military or other critical systems, compared to simpler commercial missions.
This added complexity also means bigger program budgets and longer-term maintenance commitments. Smaller companies that have primarily been involved in straightforward or smaller-scale missions now have a pathway to participate in these larger projects. As long as they meet the required standards for interfaces, their solutions can be considered by bigger players.
In the past, it was much harder for smaller companies to compete in this space because integrating their products or services into larger systems was challenging. But now, with these standards in place, the barriers to entry are significantly lower, opening up new opportunities for them to contribute to more ambitious projects.”
What are the most significant benefits of using a standardized approach for integrating Earth observation systems?
“There are two main benefits. First is the speed of integration. When everyone follows the same standards, components fit together seamlessly, reducing both integration time and some aspects of verification and validation. This compresses the overall project schedule, which is a big advantage for clients who want their systems up and running quickly.
One major advantage for system integrators is the ability to easily select the best products for each Domino, combining the strengths of multiple solutions into a cohesive system. For example, if there’s a company in Berlin that specializes in supervision systems and is Domino-compliant, the system integrator can integrate their solution. If another company in London offers the best mission planning system, that can be included as well. We could even source the top archiving and cataloging system from a company in Auckland. This approach allows us to seamlessly integrate the best products from around the world into a unified system. In the past, this process was more complicated—like trying to untangle spaghetti—making it difficult to incorporate the highest-quality products into a single, efficient system that delivers maximum value to the end client.”
Is the Domino ecosystem more of a behind-the-scenes framework, or is it something that’s actively marketed to customers? What’s the value proposition for them?
“We’re seeing that many clients worldwide are becoming more independent and want to develop their own capabilities in space technology for various good reasons. However, they can’t always handle everything on their own.
For these clients, knowing that a solution is Domino-compliant is a big advantage. It means they can develop specific components locally, using their own companies or institutes, and easily integrate them into the final system. While this approach will definitely appeal to some clients, for others it might be less relevant. Still, we believe this concept will resonate with more and more clients around the world.”
Looking ahead, what’s your ultimate vision for the Domino architecture?
“Ideally, there could eventually be an official Domino certification, indicating that a company’s products are Domino-compliant. This could lead to a marketplace where all Domino-compliant products and services are listed, making it easier for system integrators and clients to find what they need. Requests for proposals (RFPs) could then be directed specifically to these certified providers, creating an ecosystem where everyone understands and collaborates using the Domino approach.”
What’s currently driving the development of Dominoes—market demand or technological supply? How do you see this balance evolving in the future?
“The main driver is the evolving market for observation missions, which increasingly demands more complex and diverse data as well as customized industrial approaches. We’re focused on staying ahead of these changes to ensure we’re ready to meet the growing needs of our clients.
Another key factor is cost efficiency from a system integration perspective. By creating consortia that bring together the best products, we can offer greater value and stay competitive—not just in terms of quality, but also in delivery time and overall cost. The goal is to deliver faster, at a lower cost, and ultimately provide more value to our customers by quickly bringing the best new products to market.
Initially, the push for Domino development came mostly from us, the system integrators, because we saw the need to create solutions that seamlessly fit into our services. Over time, however, we’re seeing more companies proactively pitching their Domino-compliant products, seeking to become part of our systems. So, while it started with our demand, it’s gradually becoming a two-way conversation where companies are also offering solutions that align with our needs.”
If you had to sum up the Domino architecture, what would you say makes it a promising new approach to space technology collaboration?
“It’s a different way of thinking—a new approach to collaboration. The focus is on the value each of us brings, rather than on the mechanics of how we work together. By concentrating on what each partner contributes, the collaboration becomes seamless, as our products naturally fit together.”
Thank you!