Session
Technical Session VIIIA: Innovative Mission Operations Concepts
Abstract
The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) has initiated the Science Satellite (SCISAT) mission as part of its ongoing space science program. The SCISAT-1 satellite will be operated from CSA's mission operation centre in St- Hubert, Québec. The use of an operations simulator is critical in mitigating any mission level risk. During an anomaly situation the operation team's only line of defence against a mission failure could be the simulator. The SCISAT-1 simulator could also be an effective tool to ensure that commands or command sequences that are detrimental to the spacecraft or the science planning are not up-linked accidentally. The best argument for the need of a simulator is encountering unknown scenarios that cannot be tested before launch. Due to the budget constraints of a small program, the fidelity of the simulator may have to be compromised to ensure critical capabilities that maximize risk mitigation while keeping the cost of development and maintenance low. This paper will describe the uses of the simulator for such a mission and the criteria that were used in selecting the simulator hardware and software in order to meet the requirements. The correct development choices allow the reuse of simulator software for future micro-satellite and small satellite programs. Therefore, the knowledge and resources gained will distribute the simulator cost over many years. In addition, the lessons learned from this project will allow CSA to absorb programmatic risks initially before the knowledge and expertise can be passed on to industry for future missions and managed effectively by CSA.
Use of an Operations Simulator for Small Satellites
The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) has initiated the Science Satellite (SCISAT) mission as part of its ongoing space science program. The SCISAT-1 satellite will be operated from CSA's mission operation centre in St- Hubert, Québec. The use of an operations simulator is critical in mitigating any mission level risk. During an anomaly situation the operation team's only line of defence against a mission failure could be the simulator. The SCISAT-1 simulator could also be an effective tool to ensure that commands or command sequences that are detrimental to the spacecraft or the science planning are not up-linked accidentally. The best argument for the need of a simulator is encountering unknown scenarios that cannot be tested before launch. Due to the budget constraints of a small program, the fidelity of the simulator may have to be compromised to ensure critical capabilities that maximize risk mitigation while keeping the cost of development and maintenance low. This paper will describe the uses of the simulator for such a mission and the criteria that were used in selecting the simulator hardware and software in order to meet the requirements. The correct development choices allow the reuse of simulator software for future micro-satellite and small satellite programs. Therefore, the knowledge and resources gained will distribute the simulator cost over many years. In addition, the lessons learned from this project will allow CSA to absorb programmatic risks initially before the knowledge and expertise can be passed on to industry for future missions and managed effectively by CSA.
