SPACE MISSION OPERATIONS CONCEPT

AbstractDeveloping a Mission Operations Concept for a space mission is a system engineering process. It involves multiple disciplines working together to describe the operational attributes of the flight and ground elements of the mission. This is done in the terms of the operators and the users (recipients of the data from the mission). A space mission operations concept emphasizes the way the mission will be operated and used (operational characteristic). Again, this is done in terms that are understood by the operators of the system and the users (the recipients of the data from the system). The Operational Attributes of a Mission are described by considering nine mission characteristics. These characteristics may be traded for cost and performance attributes of the mission. Developing a Mission Operations Concept is the process through which changes to mission requirements and/or design that will lower the Mission Life Cycle Cost can be identified. The inputs to the Mission Operations Concept include flight, ground and management functions.Mission Operations Concepts are typically generated for nearly all space missions. It is a requirement in many project plans and RFPs that are generated. However, there is not a definition of what is included in a mission operations concept; of what should be considered when generating this operations concept; what the process is or what the products are. This paper will discuss the process of developing a space mission operations concept; the benefits of starting this system engineering task early; the necessary inputs to the process; and the products which are generated. This paper is based on a chapter in a text book that will be published in March 1996 ‐ prior to the NCSC Conference. In addition this process has just started going through an international review which will result in an ISO Standard for a Space Mission Operations Concept checklist. This checklist will describe the inputs, and outputs required to conform to the ISO standard for a space mission operations concept. The paper will include that latest draft of the international standard checklist, and explain the system engineering processes and benefits of generating an operations concept early in the life‐cycle of the project, during the study phase, and then maintaining the operations concept throughout the life‐cycle of the project.