A new line of products designed for mission control centres for low earth orbit satellites

Abstract

The new line of products for ground control segments (GCS) draws on more than fifteen years of experience acquired at CNES on remote sensing programmes. Derived from the SPOT4 ground control segment, the new products satisfy the following main requirements: • — maximum cost savings in improvement, tests, maintenance and operational phases, • — a high level of flexibility for payload operations • — a minimum risk for satellite integrity control • — a modular, open-ended architecture capable of including new technologies • — capability for multi-mission purposes. The product line strategy is based on adequate CNES and industrial organization. From the beginning of 1998, it will be used for all SPOT and HELIOS operational control centres. This will enable routine satellite and ground system control procedures to be fully automated. Nevertheless, for launch phases and in emergencies, the centres can be interfaced with multi-mission facilities and operated in manual mode. Each centre could be used as a stand alone, command control centre or interfaced with one or more user GCSs. The mission and satellite control functions have been divided into different products to match any possible distribution of responsibilities between mission and satellite operators. Each centre could also be used in the framework of a multi-satellite control system. To avoid major technology gaps, the products may be improved by means of an incremental process. After describing the overall ground segment, this paper deals with the principal requirements for cost reduction which have been taken into account (such as automation, fewer ground to ground interfaces, minimizing the number of visibility periods with the satellite, etc.). It then describes the technical choices made for the product line. It goes on to emphasize those solutions which provide savings in life-cycle times, improvement and maintenance (such as modular architecture, a documentation strategy, shorter installation and test periods, configuration control, organization, etc.) Finally it gives an example of installation and operational modes within the framework of a SPOT GCS and a rationale of the preferred solution.