Digital twins – 3D models of real-world objects – are becoming increasingly common and relied upon across many different industries. In the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry, digital twins are being created for large buildings and infrastructure projects. By creating these realistic, true-to-life models of large structures, the AEC lifecycle can be expedited, rework can be eliminated, and there is more information available for the future maintenance and management of the structure.

We’re also seeing digital twins and digital prototypes becoming more commonplace In the manufacturing industry. Realistic digital models of products make it faster and easier to 3D print parts. They also can be used to proactively predict and more rapidly diagnose problems and failures.

These example use cases for digital twins are being leveraged on Earth today. But there are other, more “out of this world” use cases for digital twins.

During a recent Mitchell Institute Schreiver Spacepower Forum, Maj Gen Shawn N. Bratton, Commander of the U.S. Space Force’s Space Training and Readiness Command (STARCOM) sat down with Maj Gen Larry Stutzriem (Ret.) to share an update on how the Force is training its guardians to be combat-ready, and to discuss the role that virtual replicas and digital twins of space assets and capabilities will play in future training.

Though the U.S. Space Force is still in its infancy, the threat landscape that the newest military branch must navigate is extremely mature. With adversaries like China gearing up and developing its own wartime space architecture, the Space Force must prioritize developing a combat credible force to maintain a competitive advantage in the domain.

“When you’re fielding a new capability, we want to have a digital model of that capability.” — Gen Bratton

During the conversation, Gen Stutzriem spoke to the Space Force’s investment in digital twin technology and how virtual replicas of the Force’s space capabilities will be leveraged in the training of guardians. Gen Bratton explained that the foundational work of this effort is being done by the Space Warfighting Analysis Center (SWAC) and Space Systems Command (SSC).

“When you’re fielding a new capability, we want to have a digital model of that capability,” said Gen Bratton. “SWAC is doing the Force design looking 10 years out, and begins that process through development of a digital model for a specific spacecraft or a constellation that may be fielded…SSC is working with contractors, and eventually I’ll get my hands on that model for test purposes.”

He went on to explain that those models will be used in developmental and operational test activities in STARCOM’s integrated test force. He said that those digital twin models will be used within the simulation environment that STARCOM is building for training activities.

However, those replicas will be based on new capabilities. Gen Bratton explained that STARCOM is now navigating how to apply that technology to legacy assets. “We’re thinking a lot about how to bring in existing spacecraft that don’t have a digital model,” said Gen Bratton. He went on to say that realizing a lot of STARCOM’s goals will rely on the commercial sector. “We’re getting a lot of help from industry in this area,” said Gen Bratton. “But there’s a lot of work to do. I think the architecture that we’re building will enable this kind of fully realized vision to bring all those things together.”

This is just one example of how digital twins can be utilized by the U.S. Space Force. In a previous article on the GovDesignHub, we laid out additional ways the U.S. Space Force can harness the power of digital twins. Here are three additional ways digital twins could benefit America’s newest military service:

Earlier asset issue detection

Through digital twin technology, military supply chain manufacturers can utilize digital scanning technology to gather asset data throughout the lifecycle of a military asset – resulting in up-to-date digital blueprints of the asset. By having this digital twin, manufacturers can run test scenarios and evaluate the asset before having it enter a physical testing environment.

By running tests based on a digital twin model, errors and issues can be detected earlier on in the design and manufacturing process, saving an immense amount of time and budgets from unnecessary testing, modifications, re-manufacturing, and rebuilds.

Shorter lead times and cheaper sustainment costs

Traditionally, when parts do need to be replaced, military supply chain processes can prove to be time-consuming and costly. Through additive manufacturing, the Air Force and Space Force no longer need to wait for expensive replacement parts to arrive from a manufacturer.

Through digital twin technology, the military can now 3D print replacement parts on the spot, based on a digital blueprint of an asset’s part, bypassing the long lead times and high price tags from traditional supply chain manufacturers.

Digitally transforming space supply chains

The processes and procedures of ordering, manufacturing, delivering, and installing replacement parts for an Air Force asset can definitely be long and arduous, but overall, it is a relatively painless process logistics-wise. But if a U.S. asset in space breaks down and needs to be fixed, the repair and replacement process is exponentially longer and more expensive due to the extremely complicated nature of reaching a space asset.

With the use of digital twins, parts can be created while in space with no need to worry about supply chain issues here on Earth.

To learn more about how virtual twins are being utilized in the U.S. Air Force, click HERE.