Spacecraft Mission Manager for SAR Orbit Planning by Antenna Availability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing spacecraft flight and mission planning systems require intense human supervision and are limited by connectivity and automation, especially when interfacing with ground station providers for tasks like synthetic aperture radar imaging, leading to inefficient collision avoidance and task management.
Innovation Solution
A spacecraft mission manager dynamically maneuvers spacecrafts to target areas based on antenna availability, integrating user inputs, telemetry, and visibility schedules to generate tasking plans autonomously, improving connectivity and collision avoidance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If spacecraft mission planning is performed manually with human supervision, then task execution can be customized and adjusted, but the productivity and operational efficiency are reduced due to intense supervision requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The spacecraft mission manager autonomously performs flight and mission planning without requiring constant human supervision. The system self-manages task scheduling, orbit planning, and coordination with ground stations, enabling the spacecraft to service itself while maintaining customizable task execution through programmable interfaces
Solution Approach 2:
The system pre-plans flight and mission operations by obtaining visibility schedules from ground stations in advance and generating tasking plans before execution. This preliminary automation reduces the need for real-time human intervention while maintaining operational flexibility
2Reliability
If spacecraft communication with ground stations is coordinated manually, then connectivity can be established, but the loss of time occurs due to manual coordination efforts
Solution Approach 1:
The spacecraft mission manager obtains visibility schedules from ground station providers in advance and pre-coordinates communication windows. By performing this coordination beforehand, the system eliminates time-consuming manual scheduling during critical operations while ensuring reliable connectivity
Solution Approach 2:
The mission manager acts as an intermediary between the spacecraft and multiple ground station providers, automatically coordinating communication schedules and antenna availability. This automated mediation reduces coordination time while maintaining reliable connectivity through systematic scheduling
3Reliability
If spacecraft orbit planning is performed without autonomous management, then collision avoidance can be monitored, but the loss of time occurs due to manual alert updates and orbit plan modifications
Solution Approach 1:
The spacecraft mission manager autonomously manages orbit plans and collision avoidance without requiring manual alert updates. The system self-monitors spacecraft telemetry, detects potential conjunctions, and automatically generates avoidance maneuvers, eliminating response delays associated with human intervention
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors spacecraft telemetry and conjunction data, providing real-time feedback to automatically adjust orbit plans when potential collisions are detected. This closed-loop feedback mechanism enables rapid autonomous response to changing conditions while maintaining reliable collision avoidance
4Productivity
If flight management systems are highly automated, then productivity and operational efficiency are improved, but the device complexity increases due to integration requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The spacecraft mission manager is designed as a universal platform that handles multiple functions including flight planning, mission planning, ground station coordination, and collision avoidance. By consolidating these diverse functions into a single multi-functional system, the patent reduces overall system complexity while maintaining high productivity
Solution Approach 2:
The mission manager is implemented as a modular software system with separate functional components that can be independently developed and integrated. This segmentation allows complex automation capabilities to be built from manageable modules, reducing integration complexity while enabling high productivity
Data Source
AI summary
Described herein are spacecraft flight and mission managers and systems, methods, and computing apparatuses for dynamically maneuvering a spacecraft towards a target area for synthetic aperture radar (SAR) capture based on antenna availability. In an embodiment, a flight and mission manager obtains user inputs for a spacecraft mission related to a synthetic aperture radar request of a target area and maneuvers for a spacecraft to reach that target area. An orbit path is determined based on user inputs and telemetry of the spacecraft. A visibility schedule of antennas of a ground station provider is obtained corresponding to the orbit path. Then, a tasking plan is generated to perform the user inputs and maintain the orbit path.