Mission Operations Research Articles

Dual-branch feature encoding framework for infrared images super-resolution reconstruction

Infrared thermal imaging is a passive non-contact detection and identification technology, which is not subject to electromagnetic infection and good concealment, is widely used in military and commercial fields. However, due to the limitations of the existing infrared imaging system mechanisms, the spatial resolution of the acquired infrared images is low and the edge details are blurred, which in turn leads to poor performance in downstream missions based on infrared images. In this paper, in order to better solve the above problems, we propose a new super-resolution reconstruction framework for infrared images, called DBFE, which extracts and retains abundant structure and textual information for robust infrared image high-resolution reconstruction with a novel structure-textual encoder module. Extensive experiment demonstrates that our proposed method achieves significantly superior contraband high-resolution reconstruction results on the multiple dataset compared to progressive methods for high resolution infrared image reconstruction, effectively proving the practicability of the method proposed in this paper.

Mission operations management of a regional coverage highly agile SAR satellite: Few key aspects

The regional coverage satellite constellations are in demand for fulfilling earth observation needs of specific user regions of interest as opposed to global coverage thus enhancing the revisit period for the area. In this paper, we present a few key mission aspects of the regional coverage constellation designed and operated by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) in low earth orbit. ISRO developed three X-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Earth Observation satellites and placed them in three inclined orbit planes to enhance the Indian region's coverage. This is India's first inclined orbit constellation designed for remote sensing applications in low earth orbit. The satellites were built around a standard bus carrying a Synthetic Aperture Radar payload with a deployable Radial Rib Antenna (RRA). They were designed to achieve a high agility capability. As SAR sensors are capable of all-weather, day, and night imaging; thus, most suitable in inclined orbits where the illumination conditions vary continuously for imaging. Though the inclined orbits provide more revisit opportunities to the region of interest, their characteristics pose challenges in mission design and operations. Though the mission design and planning involved a host of elements, this paper brings out the details of a few key mission analysis elements, planning aspects and operations that were critical in the course of various mission phases. The mission analysis included mission-specific requirements like launch windows selection for the constellation and reference attitude generation specific to inclined orbit geometry. Mission planning had to take care of Radial Rib Antenna (RRA) deployment requirements which were very critical for the mission, apart from taking care of individual subsystem requirements. The SAR payload data product quality and targeting accuracy are very sensitive to the satellite image point range (vis-a-vis SAR operation data window). Extensive post-launch calibration activity was carried out to meet all these mission requirements and data product specifications. The challenge was in fixing the payload beam alignment and fixing the uncertainties in onboard and ground computations. The paper also describes the methods of fixing all possible error sources affecting the high-resolution SAR payload performance.

BASIC PROVISIONS OF THE METHODOLOGY FOR DETERMINING THE QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE COMPOSITION OF FIELD REPAIR TEAMS FOR THE RESTORATION OF DAMAGED WEAPONS AND MILITARY EQUIPMENT OF THE ANTI-AIRCRAFT MISSILE TROOPS OF THE AIR FORCES OF THE ARMED FORCES

Analysis of the performance of combat missions by military units and separate units of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the area of the Joint Forces operation in the east of Ukraine (anti-terrorist operation in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions) and during the full-scale armed aggression by the russian of the russian federation indicates a significant change in the modern forms and methods of use of troops (forces), which leads to the need to improve existing and find new ways of performing logistical support tasks, in particular, the restoration of damaged samples of weapons and military equipment. In the main provisions of the well-known methodology for determining the quantitative and qualitative composition of field repair brigades for the restoration of weapons and military groups of anti-aircraft missile units of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, damaged during the conduct of hostilities, the specifics of combat operations of units of anti-aircraft missile troops in modern armed conflicts and factors that can to influence the organization and implementation of logistical support for the repair and restoration of anti-aircraft missile weapons. A methodology for determining the quantitative and qualitative composition of field repair teams for the restoration of damaged weapons and military equipment of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was developed and proposed. The methodology is aimed at the use of logistical support bodies when conducting operational-tactical and logistical calculations at the stages of early, direct planning and conducting combat operations. The methodology is one of the components in the creation of a methodological apparatus for the functioning of the system of restoring weapons and military equipment, the process of supporting the decision on the logistical support of troops (forces) during the preparation and conduct of hostilities (military operations). This technique can be used as a basis for the development of similar techniques for assessing the possibility of restoring the armament and military equipment of other branches of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Investigation of near-rectilinear halo orbit search and rescue using staging [formula omitted]/[formula omitted] Lyapunov and distant retrograde orbit families

Cislunar space is a region of growing interest with nations investing resources to cultivate long presence habitations on the lunar surface. With this increased attention and expansion of missions, both crewed and uncrewed, the likelihood of a mishap or a spacecraft becoming impaired and unable to continue its mission will also increase. The present research adds to the field of cislunar mission operations and trajectory analysis by investigating search and rescue (SAR) operations via rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO) with an impaired notional spacecraft located in a Near-Rectlinear Halo Orbit (NRHO). This research compares the response times of rescuer spacecraft located in sample distant retrograde orbits (DROs) and L1/L2 Lyapunov orbits for the timely far rendezvous with the impaired spacecraft located in the NRHO. This will simulate a variety of far rendezvous whereby the impaired spacecraft’s location within the NRHO and the rescuer spacecraft in the L1/L2 Lyapunov and DRO orbit families are varied. A series of minimum time optimal control problems are posed using the circular restricted three-body problem (CR3BP) dynamics, and pseudospectral methods are used to find solutions given an example maximum ΔV constraint of 3 km/s. The results reinforces our intuition that rendezvous time of flight (TOF) between orbits within the L1, L2, and DRO families and the targeted NRHO correlate with proximity to the NRHO, with the shortest far rendezvous times in each family found to be approximately 6 hours, 4.5 hours, and 10 hours respectively. The results further show that a constellation of two rescue spacecraft could be positioned within the three orbit families to achieve far rendezvous with the chosen NRHO in under one day.

Professional and applied physical training as the main type of military professional activity of cadets

Abstract. The readiness of the Armed Forces to repel the armed aggression of the Russian Federation is determined by many factors, one of which is the training of personnel. The activities of all military specialists, including physical training specialists, are aimed at ensuring a high level of personnel training. This is due to the fact that the development of physical qualities, formation and improvement of military-applied skills and abilities of servicemen is the key to successful combat operations.
 Physical readiness is the physical condition of a serviceman characterized by appropriate bodily development, certain functional resources of the body and the required level of motor fitness, which ensures the successful performance of combat missions for the purpose.
 Automation, computerization of military equipment and changes in the methods of warfare have led to a decrease in the share of physical effort in its control and muscle work in the structure of professional combat activity of servicemen in general, and at the same time increased the level of neuropsychological stress and tension, expanded the range of adverse factors of military combat activity. The connection between physical fitness and combat activity of servicemen of some military specialties has become hidden and indirect.
 Reforming educational institutions in the Armed Forces of Ukraine requires addressing global issues of improvement and finding new ways to solve the problems of vocational training of military personnel. The effective performance of cadets in educational institutions largely depends on their professional and applied training.
 One of the main tasks of teaching cadets the techniques and methods of ensuring professional and personal safety in emergency circumstances and in extreme conditions is to improve their firearms skills, as well as to increase the level of resistance to physical activity in training and service activities.
 The most important components of the professional skills of cadets of educational institutions are physical, professional and applied physical, psychological and firearms training.
 They belong to the cycle of professional disciplines and are designed to promote readiness for armed defense of the law, to maintain the constant readiness of future defenders to resolutely and skillfully stop illegal acts using physical force, special means and firearms.

Performance Guarantee for Autonomous Robotic Missions using Resource Management: The PANORAMA Approach

This paper proposes the PANORAMA approach, which is designed to dynamically and autonomously manage the allocation of a robot’s hardware and software resources during fully autonomous mission. This behavioral autonomy approach guarantees the satisfaction of the mission performance constraints. This article clarifies the concept of performance for autonomous robotic missions and details the different phases of the PANORAMA approach. Finally, it focuses on an experimental implementation on a patrolling mission example.

Activation delay and aborting policy minimizing expected losses in consecutive attempts having cumulative effect on mission success

This paper proposes a new mission system model where the task may be attempted multiple times by different components that are activated one by one with dissimilar delays. The mission success depends on the cumulative effect of components that have completed the task operation. Each component may abort the task operation according to an individual shock-driven aborting policy defined by the number of experienced shocks and a threshold of operation time during the attempt. Dependent on the status of the cumulative effect, a common abort command (CAC) may also be issued to terminate all the ongoing operations to reduce the expected number of lost components. The optimal activation delay and aborting policy (ADAP) problem is formulated and solved, which determines the individual component aborting parameters, the CAC issuing parameter, and the component activation delays to minimize the expected mission losses (EML). A detailed case study of unmanned aerial vehicles executing a target destruction mission is provided to demonstrate the proposed model and investigate the effects of several key parameters on the mission performance and optimization solutions. The effectiveness of shock-driven and CAC-driven aborts in reducing the EML is also studied and compared using the case study.

Triple Time Interval Hybridization Strategy for Rapidly Calculating Regional Target–Visible Time Window of Earth Observation Payloads on Space Station

Earth observation payloads deployed outside the space station play a pivotal role in remote sensing and atmospheric monitoring. Calculating the visible time window (VTW) for regional targets is a fundamental aspect of payload observation and operational mission planning. Aiming to address the challenge of rapidly calculating the VTW for regional targets, this paper introduces the Triple Time Interval Hybridization Strategy (TTIHS). By integrating orbit filtering, large-step angle calculation, and a short interval binary search, the TTIHS adapts different strategies within global, coarse search, and precise search time intervals, effectively reducing computational workload and improving speed. Simultaneously, optimization analysis is conducted on the time step in the coarse search, achieving a balance between computation speed and accuracy. Simulation results, based on real data from the China Space Station, highlight a significant improvement in computational speed while ensuring accuracy. Specifically, the proposed rapid algorithm exhibits a 2.73-fold enhancement in speed compared to the existing rapid algorithm.

Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO) Operation: From Design to Initial Results

Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO) is South Korea’s first space exploration mission, developed by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute. It aims to develop technologies for lunar exploration, explore lunar science, and test new technologies. KPLO was launched on August 5, 2022, by a Falcon-9 launch vehicle from cape canaveral space force station (CCSFS) in the United States and placed on a ballistic lunar transfer (BLT) trajectory. A total of four trajectory correction maneuvers were performed during the approximately 4.5-month trans-lunar cruise phase to reach the Moon. Starting with the first lunar orbit insertion (LOI) maneuver on December 16, the spacecraft performed a total of three maneuvers before arriving at the lunar mission orbit, at an altitude of 100 kilometers, on December 27, 2022. After entering lunar orbit, the commissioning phase validated the operation of the mission mode, in which the payload is oriented toward the center of the Moon. After completing about one month of commissioning, normal mission operations began, and each payload successfully performed its planned mission. All of the spacecraft operations that KPLO performs from launch to normal operations were designed through the system operations design process. This includes operations that are automatically initiated post-separation from the launch vehicle, as well as those in lunar transfer orbit and lunar mission orbit. Key operational procedures such as the spacecraft’s initial checkout, trajectory correction maneuvers, LOI, and commissioning were developed during the early operation preparation phase. These procedures were executed effectively during both the early and normal operation phases. The successful execution of these operations confirms the robust verification of the system operation.

LISA Galactic Binaries with Astrometry from Gaia DR3

Galactic compact binaries with orbital periods shorter than a few hours emit detectable gravitational waves (GWs) at low frequencies. Their GW signals can be detected with the future Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA). Crucially, they may be useful in the early months of the mission operation in helping to validate LISA's performance in comparison to prelaunch expectations. We present an updated list of 55 candidate LISA-detectable binaries with measured properties, for which we derive distances based on Gaia Data Release 3 astrometry. Based on the known properties from electromagnetic observations, we predict the LISA detectability after 1, 3, 6, and 48 months using Bayesian analysis methods. We distinguish between verification and detectable binaries as being detectable after 3 and 48 months, respectively. We find 18 verification binaries and 22 detectable sources, which triples the number of known LISA binaries over the last few years. These include detached double white dwarfs, AM CVn binaries, one ultracompact X-ray binary, and two hot subdwarf binaries. We find that across this sample the GW amplitude is expected to be measured to ≈10% on average, while the inclination is expected to be determined with ≈15° precision. For detectable binaries, these average errors increase to ≈50% and ≈40°, respectively.

Autonomous Robotic Capabilities in Space Exploration: From Mars to Beyond

The historical timeline of automated systems functioning in space settings spans around 75 years, whereas the existence of practical automated equipment to facilitate astronomical observation dates back over 200 years. Over time, physical servomechanisms have seen advancements in both hardware and software capabilities, enabling their successful operation on the Martian surface and even during journeys to the heliopause, which marks the outer boundary of interstellar space. Contemporary spaceflight operations exemplify a growing capacity to provide decentralized coordination across several automated systems, intricate communication networks, and diverse communities of scientists and engineers. This article examines the impact of autonomous robotic functionalities on space explorations, specifically emphasizing the investigation of Mars' surface. The article examines the use of robotic systems in past missions, specifically focusing on their application in activities like as the identification and analysis of water ice deposits, study of geological features, and the deployment of sensor devices. The article further emphasizes the achievements of autonomous operations in missions conducted in Earth's orbit, as well as the progress made in developing autonomy for operations in close vicinity to minor celestial bodies. This research explores the Chang'e 4 lunar mission and the OSIRIS-REx mission as instances of autonomous exploration and sample gathering on minor celestial bodies. The research also encompasses the exploration of prospective autonomy in forthcoming expeditions to oceanic realms and distant locales.

A Review of Novel and Non-Conventional Propulsion Integrations for Next-Generation Aircraft

The aim of this review paper is to collect and discuss the most relevant and updated contributions in the literature regarding studies on new or non-conventional technologies for propulsion–airframe integration. Specifically, the focus is given to both evolutionary technologies, such as ultra-high bypass ratio turbofan engines, and breakthrough propulsive concepts, represented in this frame by boundary layer ingestion engines and distributed propulsion architectures. The discussion focuses mainly on the integration effects of these propulsion technologies, with the aim of defining performance interactions with the overall aircraft, in terms of aerodynamic, propulsive, operating and mission performance. Hence, this work aims to analyse these technologies from a general perspective, related to the effects they have on overall aircraft design and performance, primarily considering the fuel consumption as a main metric. Potential advantages but also possible drawbacks or detected showstoppers are proposed and discussed with the aim of providing as broad a framework as possible for the aircraft design development roadmap for these emerging propulsive technologies.

Design concepts and control algorithm to minimize the control effort for earth-orbit-raising solar sails

This paper presents novel design concepts and a robust sliding mode control (RSMC) algorithm for a solar sail optimized for an Earth-orbit-raising demonstration mission. The design of the solar sail is focused on minimizing mission difficulty and control effort during the Earth-orbit-rising mission. To this end, a gravity-stabilized long boom and one-sided black-coating film are introduced in the solar sail system, and a reaction wheel is used as a control torque actuator. The strategic combination of these components modifies the attitude control task from 90° back-and-forth pitch motion control for maintaining the proper attitude for receiving solar radiation pressure (SRP) to that of stabilizing the sail attitude perturbed from gravity-stabilized equilibrium. This simplification of the control task can minimize the mission difficulty and control input energy because attitude control is required only for small deviations from the attitude equilibrium, while the one-sided black-coated film with a reflective surface on the opposite side ensures that SRP propulsion effectively pushes the sail toward the orbit-rising direction. Thus, the control torque of the reaction wheel size can be reduced. To validate the Earth-orbit-raising mission performance, a quaternion-based RSMC approach is established for the six degree-of-freedom dynamic model. The simulation results confirm that the proposed solar sail system can stabilize its attitude with minimal control torque energy of the reaction wheels during Earth-orbit-raising missions.

A systems approach to hazard identification for solar-powered and wave-propelled unmanned surface vehicle

Decarbonization is a trend in the maritime industry and may include the use of alternative energy sources on ships. At the same time, autonomous ships are under development. In the future, the two technologies may be combined. The objective of this study is to identify possible hazards related to the operation of autonomous vessels using green energy sources. An extended and holistic Systems-Theoretic Process Analysis (STPA) based approach is proposed, where both safety and security is considered. Changes in level of autonomy during operation are considered, and an extension of the STPA method is proposed to highlight the interaction between the system and external energy source. A solar-powered and wave-propelled unmanned surface vehicle is analysed. The results show that mission performance may be affected by both safety and security issues, and that considering influences from the environment and the autonomous functionalities of the system together, contributes to identifying hazards. The results are compared to operational experience from multiple field campaigns. The case study focuses on a relatively simple autonomous vehicle, but some functionalities may be shared with Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS). Hence, implications for utilisation of alternative energy sources on MASS, and effects on risks, are discussed.

Optimizing time-varying performance and mission aborting policy in resource constrained missions

Intensive efforts have been devoted to mission aborting systems. However, the existing models mostly assumed static performance or failed to consider limited resources (e.g., energy, budget). Motivated by practical applications like unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), this paper relaxes those assumptions by modeling a resource-constrained system that must complete a required amount of work for a successful mission and accomplish further a return/rescue phase (RP) to survive the system. The operation phase (OP) of the mission may be aborted depending on the number of external shocks (e.g., electromagnetic interferences, radiations) the system has survived and the operation time elapsed, followed by a RP to save the asset. Probabilistic methods are proposed to evaluate the mission success probability (MSP) and system survival probability (SSP). An optimization problem is formulated and solved, which determines the joint optimal time-varying performance policy and OP aborting policy, maximizing the MSP while providing a required level of SSP. A case study of UAV executing a reconnaissance mission is carried out to demonstrate the suggested model and examine influence of the SSP level as well as shock parameters on the mission performance and optimal policies. The advantage of time-varying performance in enhancing the MSP is also demonstrated.

Development and Fabrication of MOSFET-Based Radiation Dosimeter (RadFET) for Enhanced Performance in Space Missions

This work presents the development and fabrication process of a radiation dosimeter based on Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor (MOSFET) technology, known as RadFET. The aim of this study is to determine the specifications of the RadFET sensor for use in space missions by the Egyptian Space Agency in SPNeX mission. We have successfully determined the sensor specifications, specified the required electronic components for readout circuits, and confirmed the correct operation of the RadFET device through device simulations and radiation-induced damage models. The fabrication process was conducted at Zewail City of Science, Technology and Innovation cleanroom facility, utilizing Sentaurus TCAD for device and process simulations. We have conducted fabrication experiments for phosphorus spin-on dopant application, dry oxide growth, and wet oxidation using water vapor bubblers. The dosimeter readout PCB fabrication and assembly phases have been successfully completed. The developed RadFET dosimeter holds great promise for radiation monitoring in space missions, ensuring enhanced safety and reliability of electronic systems.

Relative navigation with Bayesian range estimation

The applications of multiple unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) require high-precision and reliable relative navigation for flight formation, collision avoidance, and mission performance. Providing high-precision relative navigation is possible by fusing the observations of inertial measurement units, global navigation satellite system receivers, and radio-ranging modules. However, radio-ranging is vulnerable to various types of interference, including additive noise, nonlinear propagation, and multi-user interference. At the same time, UAVs strict energy constraints force us to look for ways to increase interference immunity without increasing the transmitting power of radio-ranging modules. This work is about improving the noise immunity of relative navigation by using a scheme tightly coupled with radio ranging and Bayesian range estimation. We describe the proposed scheme and also carry out a comparative simulation of tightly coupled and conventional, loosely coupled schemes. According to the simulation, a tightly coupled scheme has a quarter smaller RMS error compared to a loosely coupled one at an SNR below -7 dB. The obtained results demonstrate the prospects for further development of the proposed scheme.

High-precision ground simulator for laser tracking of gravity satellite.

Inter-satellite laser ranging is a key technology to improve the measurement precision of gravity satellites in future missions. However, it requires a stable laser link between satellites, which would be affected by external disturbances in space and internal couplings of satellite components. This paper presents a dynamic model to describe the tracking error and proposes a high-precision satellite simulator for the validation of inter-satellite laser tracking. Then, the noises of the sensors and actuators are tested to give the theoretical tracking performance of the simulator. Finally, the laser tracking performance is validated through two experiments: fixed-position tracking and motion tracking. The experimental results show that the measured tracking error of the satellite platform is better than 10 mrad/Hz in the fixed-position tracking and 50 mrad/Hz in the motion tracking. Furthermore, the optical platform can reduce the measured tracking error to 80 μrad/Hz in both two experiments. This work provides a theoretical foundation for optimizing laser tracking performance in space missions, and the proposed simulator has demonstrated a potential for mission simulation with laser tracking.

An Augmented Reality Hand-Eye Sensorimotor Impairment Assessment for Spaceflight Operations.

INTRODUCTION: Following a transition from microgravity to a gravity-rich environment (e.g., Earth, Moon, or Mars), astronauts experience sensorimotor impairment, primarily from a reinterpretation of vestibular cues, which can impact their ability to perform mission-critical tasks. To enable future exploration-class missions, the development of lightweight, space-conscious assessments for astronauts transitioning between gravity environments without expert assistance is needed.METHODS: We examined differences in performance during a two-dimensional (2D) hand-eye multidirectional tapping task, implemented in augmented reality in subjects (N = 20) with and without the presence of a vestibular-dominated sensorimotor impairment paradigm: the binaural bipolar application of a pseudorandom galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS) signal. Metrics associated with both the impairment paradigm and task performance were assessed.RESULTS: Medial-lateral sway during balance on an anterior-posterior sway-referenced platform with eyes closed was most affected by GVS (effect size: 1.2), in addition to anterior-posterior sway (effect size: 0.63) and the vestibular index (effect size: 0.65). During the augmented reality task, an increase in time to completion (effect size: 0.63), number of misses (effect size: 0.52), and head linear accelerations (effect size: 0.30) were found in the presence of the selected GVS waveform.DISCUSSION: Findings indicate that this multidirectional tapping task may detect emergent vestibular-dominated impairment (near landing day performance) in astronauts. Decrements in speed and accuracy indicate this impairment may hinder crews' ability to acquire known target locations while in a static standing posture. The ability to track these decrements can support mission operations decisions.Allred AR, Weiss H, Clark TK, Stirling L. An augmented reality hand-eye sensorimotor impairment assessment for spaceflight operations. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2024; 95(2):69-78.

Biomechanical Testing Methods Used to Determine the Effects of Standard Military Loads on the Mission Performance of Soldiers

Bu derleme makalesinin amacı, askerlerin alt uzuvlarının kuvvet ve gücünün belirlenerek görev performansının tahmin edilmesine yönelik kullanılan biyomekanik testleri içeren çalışmaları sistematik olarak değerlendirip paylaşmaktır. Elde edilen veriler, askerlerin alt-uzuv kuvvetinin, yük taşıma kapasiteleri ve dayanıklılıklarıyla doğrudan ilişkili olduğunu göstermiştir. Mevcut biyomekanik testlerin daha çok statik olarak yapıldığı göz önüne alındığında, gelecekte bu testlerin belirli bir operasyon senaryosu altında dinamik ve gerçek zamanlı olarak daha da geliştirilmesi, askerlerin performansının anlık olarak izlenmesi ve değerlendirilmesi hususunda daha güvenilir ve objektif verilenlerin elde edilmesi açısından faydalı olacaktır. Ayrıca bu testlerden elde edilen veriler ışığında standart askeri yükler yeniden tasarlanabilir ve sonuçta askerin performansını artıracak daha verimli egzersizler belirlenebilir.