Session
Weekend Session 7: Year in Review - Research & Academia
Location
Utah State University, Logan, UT
Abstract
Lunar Flashlight, a 6U CubeSat developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and operated by students at the Georgia Institute of Technology (GT), was launched in December 2022 with a mission to demonstrate novel small satellite technologies, including a first-of-its-kind green monopropellant system, and to map surface water ice in permanently shadowed regions of the lunar south pole using near-infrared laser reflectometry. As operations systems engineers, the GT team has maintained, developed, and refined models of spacecraft subsystems as well as coordinated the project's approach to anomaly response and fault protection. This paper reports how analysis of flight data and post-launch experiences have allowed the team to make more efficient use of the spacecraft's capabilities by taking advantage of margins, synthesizing data, and adapting flight rules and constraints. In-flight anomalies have required substantial rework of the mission's concept of operations, and anomaly management and resolution has leaned heavily on modeling and predictions from the operations systems engineers. The GT operations team has made full use of available data, including telemetry and observed system behavior, to swiftly recognize and address anomalies, support strenuous recovery efforts, and make possible a realignment of the concept of operations despite significant challenges.
Operations Systems Engineering for the Lunar Flashlight Mission
Utah State University, Logan, UT
Lunar Flashlight, a 6U CubeSat developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and operated by students at the Georgia Institute of Technology (GT), was launched in December 2022 with a mission to demonstrate novel small satellite technologies, including a first-of-its-kind green monopropellant system, and to map surface water ice in permanently shadowed regions of the lunar south pole using near-infrared laser reflectometry. As operations systems engineers, the GT team has maintained, developed, and refined models of spacecraft subsystems as well as coordinated the project's approach to anomaly response and fault protection. This paper reports how analysis of flight data and post-launch experiences have allowed the team to make more efficient use of the spacecraft's capabilities by taking advantage of margins, synthesizing data, and adapting flight rules and constraints. In-flight anomalies have required substantial rework of the mission's concept of operations, and anomaly management and resolution has leaned heavily on modeling and predictions from the operations systems engineers. The GT operations team has made full use of available data, including telemetry and observed system behavior, to swiftly recognize and address anomalies, support strenuous recovery efforts, and make possible a realignment of the concept of operations despite significant challenges.
