Session
Weekday Poster Session 5
Location
Utah State University, Logan, Utah
Abstract
While real-time command and control is an invaluable element of spacecraft operations, many functions must be automated for the benefit of mission health and success. Routine tasking, state machine implementation, payload operations, and fault recovery are all on-board activities that can be self-contained within the spacecraft’s software configuration. Currently employed for multiple on-orbit missions, the in-house flight software developed for Terran Orbital spacecraft manage these processes through a system of automatic events (auto-events). Auto-events are highly configurable functions that take inputs from the spacecraft state, then execute a defined action once that input meets a set criteria. Auto-events are defined with a combination of logic types, methods of monitoring one or multiple sensor or status messages, trigger behaviors, and time thresholds. Auto-events can also take the full range of actions available to a spacecraft operator, but with faster response times on millisecond timescales.
The majority of auto-events serve the function of Fault Detection, Isolation, and Recovery, and are referred to on the whole as “FDIR.” These FDIR events range from addressing temperature violations and power concerns, to monitoring overall module health and functional status when interacting with the central flight computer. The response actions can vary, from simple flags to enabling backup processors and devices, therefore managing redundancy and dual-string functionality.
Other auto-events manage state machine transitions, module power states, space-to-ground contacts, and payload activities using internal timers in addition to vehicle state inputs.
Document Type
Event
On-Orbit Automated Processes from Fault Recovery to Mission Activities
Utah State University, Logan, Utah
While real-time command and control is an invaluable element of spacecraft operations, many functions must be automated for the benefit of mission health and success. Routine tasking, state machine implementation, payload operations, and fault recovery are all on-board activities that can be self-contained within the spacecraft’s software configuration. Currently employed for multiple on-orbit missions, the in-house flight software developed for Terran Orbital spacecraft manage these processes through a system of automatic events (auto-events). Auto-events are highly configurable functions that take inputs from the spacecraft state, then execute a defined action once that input meets a set criteria. Auto-events are defined with a combination of logic types, methods of monitoring one or multiple sensor or status messages, trigger behaviors, and time thresholds. Auto-events can also take the full range of actions available to a spacecraft operator, but with faster response times on millisecond timescales.
The majority of auto-events serve the function of Fault Detection, Isolation, and Recovery, and are referred to on the whole as “FDIR.” These FDIR events range from addressing temperature violations and power concerns, to monitoring overall module health and functional status when interacting with the central flight computer. The response actions can vary, from simple flags to enabling backup processors and devices, therefore managing redundancy and dual-string functionality.
Other auto-events manage state machine transitions, module power states, space-to-ground contacts, and payload activities using internal timers in addition to vehicle state inputs.
