Session
Weekday Poster Session 1
Location
Utah State University, Logan, UT
Abstract
There are valuable satellites that fail early and almost none have been repaired or investigated. Other industries benefit from feedback loops that use failure analysis to accelerate design and manufacturing improvements.17 Historically the cost of a repair mission would be so high it wouldn't be considered. The cost of space debris mitigation missions can be reduced by leveraging the learning other industries have experienced. Lowering the cost of repair missions will enable more debris mitigation, learn more about why missions failed, and lead to fewer failures and lower costs.
Many space programs rely on outdated processes that increase costs, inflate workforce requirements, and endanger delivery schedules. The techniques proposed enable a paradigm shift revitalizing space system design through cross-industry knowledge and experience sharing. By adopting proven practices from a diverse set of industries, we can enhance performance for spaceborne systems to investigate and recover failed satellites and similar missions.
First, we highlight techniques used in other industries to design for reliability and resilience in harsh environments. We present a framework to determine which established practices can accommodate different space mission profiles and requirements.
Second, we make a data-driven case to leverage more commercial parts and components in future space missions. Analysis of real-world reliability statistics demonstrates commercial hardware often meets or exceeds specifications designed for space. We outline processes already proven successful to qualify commercial parts for the space environment.
This modernization combines the selective incorporation of cross-industry practices and prudent commercial parts adoption. The results are highly reliable space systems that can be utilized in missions with drastically accelerated development timelines at much reduced costs even in missions with low spacecraft counts. We outline actionable next steps for stakeholders to update design and quality assurance standards and acquisition processes to enable this performance transformation through cross-industry knowledge sharing.
Leveraging Cross-Industry Knowledge to Improve the Design of Space Systems
Utah State University, Logan, UT
There are valuable satellites that fail early and almost none have been repaired or investigated. Other industries benefit from feedback loops that use failure analysis to accelerate design and manufacturing improvements.17 Historically the cost of a repair mission would be so high it wouldn't be considered. The cost of space debris mitigation missions can be reduced by leveraging the learning other industries have experienced. Lowering the cost of repair missions will enable more debris mitigation, learn more about why missions failed, and lead to fewer failures and lower costs.
Many space programs rely on outdated processes that increase costs, inflate workforce requirements, and endanger delivery schedules. The techniques proposed enable a paradigm shift revitalizing space system design through cross-industry knowledge and experience sharing. By adopting proven practices from a diverse set of industries, we can enhance performance for spaceborne systems to investigate and recover failed satellites and similar missions.
First, we highlight techniques used in other industries to design for reliability and resilience in harsh environments. We present a framework to determine which established practices can accommodate different space mission profiles and requirements.
Second, we make a data-driven case to leverage more commercial parts and components in future space missions. Analysis of real-world reliability statistics demonstrates commercial hardware often meets or exceeds specifications designed for space. We outline processes already proven successful to qualify commercial parts for the space environment.
This modernization combines the selective incorporation of cross-industry practices and prudent commercial parts adoption. The results are highly reliable space systems that can be utilized in missions with drastically accelerated development timelines at much reduced costs even in missions with low spacecraft counts. We outline actionable next steps for stakeholders to update design and quality assurance standards and acquisition processes to enable this performance transformation through cross-industry knowledge sharing.
