Session
Technical Session VI: Advanced Technologies & Subsystems, Components & Sensors (I)
Abstract
The growing popularity of small satellites for applications of all kinds has lead to a marked increase in the number of requests from customers of The Aerospace Corporation for studies involving small satellites. The existing design tools used by the Corporation for concept evaluation of large spacecraft have, in many cases, proven inadequate for these small spacecraft studies. As a result, Aerospace is developing a systems engineering tool to support the conceptual design of small satellites. The Aerospace Corporation’s small satellite systems engineering tool utilizes a spreadsheet-based approach to efficiently track information regarding the mass, power, and volume of the satellite subsystems. This subsystem information is derived through a variety of means, including analytical relationships, iterative solvers, and databases of components appropriate for small satellites. Physics based models for such factors as solar illumination and external torques have been incorporated into the tool to aid in the analysis of the design. In addition to data tracking, the spreadsheet approach used makes it easier for a concurrent engineering methodology to be applied to the design process. This means the effects of a change in one subsystem are immediately propagated to the other subsystems, and system-level effects are more easily identified. The end result is a tool that facilitates rapid systems-level concept evaluation and trade-space exploration in support of the small satellite design process. This paper describes The Aerospace Corporation’s small satellite systems engineering tool. The approach underlying the tool, as well as an overview of the implementation, relationships between the subsystems, and the flow of information are presented.
A Systems Engineering Tool for Small Satellite Design
The growing popularity of small satellites for applications of all kinds has lead to a marked increase in the number of requests from customers of The Aerospace Corporation for studies involving small satellites. The existing design tools used by the Corporation for concept evaluation of large spacecraft have, in many cases, proven inadequate for these small spacecraft studies. As a result, Aerospace is developing a systems engineering tool to support the conceptual design of small satellites. The Aerospace Corporation’s small satellite systems engineering tool utilizes a spreadsheet-based approach to efficiently track information regarding the mass, power, and volume of the satellite subsystems. This subsystem information is derived through a variety of means, including analytical relationships, iterative solvers, and databases of components appropriate for small satellites. Physics based models for such factors as solar illumination and external torques have been incorporated into the tool to aid in the analysis of the design. In addition to data tracking, the spreadsheet approach used makes it easier for a concurrent engineering methodology to be applied to the design process. This means the effects of a change in one subsystem are immediately propagated to the other subsystems, and system-level effects are more easily identified. The end result is a tool that facilitates rapid systems-level concept evaluation and trade-space exploration in support of the small satellite design process. This paper describes The Aerospace Corporation’s small satellite systems engineering tool. The approach underlying the tool, as well as an overview of the implementation, relationships between the subsystems, and the flow of information are presented.
