Abstract
Given the role of Cubesats in the new space economy, a statistically relevant number of CubeSats have flown, and considering the high percentage of failed missions, the investigation of in-orbit anomalies becomes of paramount importance. It is rare to find data about mission failures, probably because the partial or total absence of telemetry does not encourage any analysis. The lack of data from the spacecraft in orbit can be mitigated through ad-hoc verification campaigns on satellite models when in-orbit anomalies are experienced. This paper shows an effective testing activity conducted on models of the spacecraft to understand the root cause of a severe anomaly that occurred during mission operations. The tests are part of a comprehensive methodology for root causes analysis. The paper aims at sharing the experience built upon a practical case of interest. More importantly, this work has the ambition of fostering the research on key topics of reliability, mission operations and assembly, and integration and verification/test processes, which have shown to be critical. The activity presented in this paper demonstrates that investigating the anomalies can help recover the mission of interest but can also support building a heritage that is still missing for CubeSat missions today.
Highlights
In the first years of this century, universities around the world, sometimes supported by space agencies [1,2], started educational program based on the development of CubeSats, which represent an effective hands-on experience for a new generation of engineers [3]
CubeSat owners tend to declare a failure of the entire system or of the communication system [22], even if the lack of communication might be just the effect of other failures, but, when the communication works partially or properly, it is difficult to analyze onboard failures because often poor or no Failure Detection Isolation and Recovery (FDIR) functions are implemented
This paper shows how a careful testing activity conducted on models of the spacecraft helped to understand how the root cause of a severe anomaly occurred during mission operations
Summary
In the first years of this century, universities around the world, sometimes supported by space agencies [1,2], started educational program based on the development of CubeSats, which represent an effective hands-on experience for a new generation of engineers [3]. CubeSat owners tend to declare a failure of the entire system or of the communication system [22], even if the lack of communication might be just the effect of other failures, but, when the communication works partially or properly, it is difficult to analyze onboard failures because often poor or no Failure Detection Isolation and Recovery (FDIR) functions are implemented This implies that usually very few data from orbit are available regarding the health status of the system, especially in case a failure occurs. Analyses on virtual models and the tests on engineering models (EM) of equipment, sub-systems, and sub-assemblies, up to the complete replica of the satellite can be conducted This does not necessarily imply that the prototype approach, instead of a proto-flight, must be followed.
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