CNES Mission Operations System Roadmap: Towards Rationalisation and Efficiency with ISIS

Abstract

In the middle of the two thousand, CNES was operating around 15 space vehicles, using five different mission operations systems. The rationale was that each spacecraft type or product line had its own mission operations system, so as to have an optimised system for each kind of vehicle. This was leading to ‘local’ optima. This paper aims at showing how CNES has chosen to improve its global efficiency for mission operations system development and for spacecraft operations. In order to find a better development and operations cost optimisation, as well as an optimisation of the organisation of its space operations, CNES studied by about 2006 the development of a new mission operations system that must be usable for all the future missions operated at CNES. The decision to achieve this development was taken in 2010. This new system is developed in the frame of the CNES ISIS project (Initiative for Space Innovative Standard). The ISIS project aims at optimising the CNES space systems development by standardising for CNES missions the platforms together with the mission operations system. The payload and the payload operations and data system are out of the scope of the ISIS project as they are specific to each mission. ISIS only deals with the interfaces towards the payload world. The whole ISIS project is achieved in partnership with two spacecraft manufacturers: TAS (Thales Alenia Space) and ADS (Airbus Defence and Space). The new mission operations ground system is called LP CCC ISIS (French acronym for ISIS command control centre product line). The paper explains how the ISIS project was born at CNES, the rationale of the project, the area and mission types it covers and the objectives it follows in order to perfectly understand the context in which the LP CCC ISIS is being developed. The ISIS project description also gives the rationale for optimising the space systems development and unifying the operations concept at CNES. This project is designed as the follow-on of the successful CNES/TAS (Thales Alenia Space) mini-satellites product line called PROTEUS. The main PROTEUS concepts are recycled in ISIS and are completed with all the CNES, TAS and ADS past experience in various space systems development and operations. The paper shows the major role given to various CCSDS and ECSS standards in this process. The context being explained, the paper addresses then the objectives of the LP CCC ISIS (for instance better performances to anticipate the evolution of the space systems, more automation to reduce operations costs and securing at defence missions level). It also addresses the various foreseen uses of the LP CCC ISIS which are not limited to mission operations system but also cover, for instance, test bench for instrument and satellites AIT (assembly, integration and tests) or remote analysis toolbox for on-call operators. This is due to the will to optimise software developments in all fields connected with satellites monitoring and control. Thereafter are described the main concepts on which the LP CCC ISIS relies and how they help fulfil the various objectives assigned to this new product. The main topic here is about service-oriented architecture (SOA), CCSDS Mission Operation standard and splitting of the software into components. This is completed with a high-level technical description of the LP CCC ISIS, showing all the functions covered by the software, how they are organised and what is to be done when the LP CCC ISIS is to be adapted to a new mission. The industrial organisation for development and integration/qualification phases will be described. This will highlight the expected benefits from this new product line. For instance, it will be shown how different systems for different uses can be built from the LP CCC ISIS components or the advantages of using the LP CCC ISIS software in various contexts and not only in mission operations system. The paper will give an overview of the development planning and of client missions at CNES for the LP CCC ISIS. A first evaluation of the benefits those missions have seen by using the ISIS standard and the LP CCC ISIS will be exposed, considering that CNES is only in assembly and tests phase as the first launch has not yet been achieved. The paper touches on the links with the European Ground System Common Core (EGS-CC) initiative. EGS-CC fulfils similar objectives and thus exchanges have taken place between the two initiatives. CNES is a member from the beginning of the EGS-CC steering board and of the EGS-CC system engineering team.