Abstract
Several years ago, the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) began a research program to understand the complexity of aerospace systems and how, through technology, it would be possible create them much faster. To underscore the ambitions of this work, we referred to this research as the pursuit of the “six-day” spacecraft. The six-day interval is marked starting with identification of a mission need and ending with a fieldable spacecraft ready to integrate onto a launch vehicle. This body of work culminated in the creation of a plug-and-play satellite bus (PnPSat) as a “clean-sheet” approach to spacecraft architecture. With PnPSat, we demonstrate how a complete spacecraft can be developed, integrated, and tested based on plug-and-play components and supporting software, design, and simulation technologies. This paper reviews the architecture and current status of the PnPSat project.
Presentation Slides
The Implementation of a Plug-and-play Satellite Bus
Several years ago, the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) began a research program to understand the complexity of aerospace systems and how, through technology, it would be possible create them much faster. To underscore the ambitions of this work, we referred to this research as the pursuit of the “six-day” spacecraft. The six-day interval is marked starting with identification of a mission need and ending with a fieldable spacecraft ready to integrate onto a launch vehicle. This body of work culminated in the creation of a plug-and-play satellite bus (PnPSat) as a “clean-sheet” approach to spacecraft architecture. With PnPSat, we demonstrate how a complete spacecraft can be developed, integrated, and tested based on plug-and-play components and supporting software, design, and simulation technologies. This paper reviews the architecture and current status of the PnPSat project.
