OPERATIONS UNIFICATION

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OPERATIONS UNIFICATION AUTOMATIONAPPLICATION
ON A SATELLITE FLEET
François LECOUAT, Jean-Michel DUSSAUZE, Pierrick
GRANDJEAN Astrium Ground Systems, Applications
Services, Toulouse francois.lecouat_at_astrium-space.
com
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OUTLINE

• KEY REQUIREMENTS FOR OPERATIONS UNIFICATION
  AUTOMATION OF A SATELLITE FLEET A UNIQUE
  OPERATIONS LAYER
• OPSWARE PRODUCTS FOR OPERATIONS AUTOMATION
• Scalable from one satellite to an heterogeneous
  fleet
• Supports various operations concept in LEO / MEO
  / GEO
• APPLICATION TO INTELSAT FLEET THE FDC PROJECT
• APPLICATION TO GALILEO FLEET ENGINEERING PHASE
  STUDY
• LESSONS LEARNT ON FLEET MANAGEMENT

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Operations layer the key for efficient
operations

• TM/TC Layer Standard Support Functions for
  Monitoring Control
• TM / TC / Archive / Mimics
• Scripts (kind of computer programs)
• Operations Layer Functions implement main
  operations concepts
• Procedures management, Planning and scheduling,
  Flight Dynamics

OPERATIONS LAYER
PROCEDURE EXECUTION
FLIGHT DYNAMICS
PLANNING SCHEDULING
TM / TC LAYER
PROCEDURE PREPARATION
DATA ANALYSIS
TELECOMMAND
TELEMETRY
MIMICS
DATABASE MANAGEMENT
NETWORK MANAGEMENT
ARCHIVE
AUTHENTICATION
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Unification of Operations (1/2)

• Key issue Efficient and reliable support of
  Operations Concept
• First Unify the Operations Layer a single
  interface
• Reduced complexity of operations efficiency
  safety
• Optimized operations schedule and ground
  resources usage
• Operate more satellites with same staff
• Simplified maintenance and staff training

OPS LAYER
Unified Operations Heterogeneous TM / TC layers
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Unification of Operations (2/2)

• Second Unify the TM / TC Layer
• May be done after
• Some more benefits for operators
• Eased H/W S/W maintenance

• Is TM / TC layer unification necessary ?
• Depends upon
• Concept of operations
• Current software architecture (APIs)
• Budget Schedule

OPS LAYER
Unified Operations Heterogeneous TM / TC layers
OPS LAYER
Unified Operations Unified TM / TC layer
TM / TC LAYER
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Astrium Solutions for Control Centers (1/2)

• Operations Layer OPSWARE products suite
• Support Operations Unification with or without TM
  / TC layer unification
• Can be easily integrated with various TM / TC
  layers
• Integration can be done by customer team, TM / TC
  layer provider, Astrium or by a 3rd party
• TM / TC Layer chosen on a case by case basis to
  best fit customer needs and strategy
• Already connected to Intelsat, L3 Storm, Astrium
  TM / TC Layers
• Connection with ESA SCOS 2000 under analysis

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Astrium Solutions for Control Centers (2/2)

• OPSWARE products can be easily integrated with
  various TM / TC layers (APIs)
• Allow progressive deployment / incremental
  automation

OPERATIONS PREPARATION
OPERATIONS EXECUTION
FULLYAUTOMATEDOPERATIONS
TIMELINE
TIMELINE
Plan Execution
Plan Preparation
OPSAT
OPSEXECUTER
SAT-ANALYST
QUARTZ
Procedures Preparation
Proc. Execution
Data Analysis
Flight Dynamics
FOST/SIS DB Management
Commanding
Telemetry Processing
Localisation
TM / TC LAYER
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Intelsat System
5's Ford Aerospace

• 30 satellites - 2 control centers (Main backup)
  - 6 Earth stations
• One of the worlds largest commercial satellite
  fleet over 3 ocean regions
• Provides voice, data video services to over 200
  countries
• FDC is the new generation multi-satellite
  control center

6's Hughes
K GE Astro Space
7's Space Systems / Loral
8's Lockheed Martin Astro Space
9's Space Systems / Loral
10's Astrium
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Intelsat FDC Need for Unified Operations Concept

• Operate a fleet from 7 different series
• Relieve satellite controllers from routine
  operations
• Enhance situation awareness
• Schedule resources optimization
• Optimize schedule of operations and resources
  allocation
• Automatic execution of commanding procedures
• Automatic scheduling of FDS maneuvers
• Improve global view of the ground segment usage
• Cost savings
• One operator to control more satellites
• Keep same operators team when fleet increases
• Reduced operations staff at earth stations
• Reduced flight dynamics staff
• Reduced preparation time
• Reduced Training

OPSWARE PRODUCTS
Control centres operations
EXPERIENCE
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The Intelsat FDC Control Center - Overview
Reuse Data Bases TM Processing

low level commanding / ranging
Existing ground equipment
BACK UP
Operations scheduling
Ranging
Network management
Flight Dynamics
Satellite Commanding
Operational 24/24 - 365/365
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Intelsat FDC performances

• Operations
• System designed for 30 satellites from 7 series,
  30 simultaneous users
• Scheduling 30 days in advance and 7 days in the
  past
• Management of 9000 sessions 300 sessions for
  30 S/C
• Commanding reactivity 15 seconds
• When an anomaly is detected, time to start an
  emergency procedure
• Delay to release a manual command from Schedule
  to site equipment
• Network management from headquarters to support
  unmanned TTC sites
• 48 antennas, 1500 devices
• Availability Internal and External Redundancy
• Internal redundancy with restart from context
• Switch to back-up site with frequently aligned
  data

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FDC Software Architecture
SCHEDULE MANAGER
TIMELINE
AUTOMATIC CONTROL PROCEDURES
RANGING MANAGER
NETWORK MANAGER NETEXPERT
EVENT ALARM NETEXPERT
IMMEDIATE COMMANDING

OPSAT OPSEXECUTER
IIC
COMMANDING SERVICES
OPK SDI
MANEUVERS VISUALISATION
MANEUVERS MANAGEMENT EXECUTION
FLIGHT DYNAMICS
TIMELINE
QUARTZ
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NETWORK MANAGER Real-time resource management

• Schedule, control monitor sites remotely from
  HQ
• Solution based on 3rd party product
• Dedicated GUIs
• to manually configure any device
• to switch to spare devices on-line
• to change configuration templates
• to assign antennas to satellites (primary and
  backup)
• 4 levels of operational information
• - System-wide / Site / Subnet / Device
• Integrated with TIMELINE
• TIMELINE requires NM to set-up a dedicated
  network path to ensure a Service A Function on
  a physical Link to a dedicated S/C
• NM notifies of any potential failure and proposes
  back-up solutions

6 Earth Stations
42 antennas
1500 devices 50 classes
50 "device classes" command modulation
units FM modulators high-power amplifiers antenna
control units chassis controllers
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OPSEXECUTER Procedures Automation

• Operations automation based on Operations
  Language
• Automated / assisted execution
• for best Controllability
• Distributed GUI safe team work
• 4 levels of reporting to ensure best situation
  awareness

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OPSAT Procedures Editor Verifier
Common Operations Language Efficient writing
maintenance Extensive verification of
procedures Procedure books generation Configurat
ion management safe team work
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USERS FEEDBACK OPSAT OPSEXECUTER

• Preparation costs divided by 2 or 3
• Unique representation of procedures (no need to
  re-code in scripts)
• Safety efficiency of operations increased
• Reduced typing, rigorous fast execution, many
  checks, detailed reporting
• Operator confidence
• Situation awareness
• New features essential for fleet management
• Easiness to add a new satellite / family
• Version control / applicability / approval of
  procedures
• Synthetic view of procedures
• Procedures that run continuously (monitors)
• Computer fault tolerance context-saving
  mechanism to restart running procedures at the
  very line they were stopped
• Openess to external systems with powerful APIs

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SAT-ANALYST Data Analysis Reporting
Ready-to-use product for data analysis - No
programming Trend Analysis Powerful satellite
series oriented functions Report
Generation Interactive or Batch mode Provide
Analysis Tree and graphical mode Handle
Telemetry Holes Properly
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QUARTZ FLIGHT DYNAMICS (1/2)

• Built form QUARTZ flight proven algorithms
• Open Framework
• Data acquisition services
• Data Base Management,
• Plot facilities, reports broadcasting
• Algorithms
• LEOP functions for spin stabilized transfer 3
  axis transfer satellites
• Station keeping and collocation functions,
  Mission analysis functions
• FDS scheduler
• Kalman filter
• Program specifics
• New features essential for Fleet Management
• Add a new satellite / family
• Manoeuvres schedule
• Automatic translation of manoeuvres into
  scheduled operations

Integration of new satellites or new functions
can be performed directly by Flight Dynamics
engineers
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QUARTZ FLIGHT DYNAMICS (2/2)

• Flight proven FDS modules
• ephemeris propagation and orbital event
  prediction
• orbit determination
• station keeping maneuver computation
• longitude relocation and station acquisition
  maneuvers
• attitude determination (spin stabilized
  satellite)
• transfer attitude maneuvers computation
• transfer maneuver planning optimization

QUARTZ is compliant to ASTRIUM, LOCKEED
MARTIN, LORAL and HUGHES satellites
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TIMELINE Operations Scheduling

• Scheduling server
• On-line schedule edition from GUIs or from
  Client applications
• On-line constraints checking and automatic
  conflicts solving
• Schedule Execution controller
• Start activities on time
• Activate, de-activate services
• Control non-nominal situations
• Supports users to monitor all operations

TIMELINE
Interactive Commanding
Procedure Executor
Ranging
- When a procedure is late, further activities
are delayed - When an antenna becomes unavailable
(service failure), a backup is automatically
proposed - When a higher priority is raised on
going activities may be interrupted
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TIMELINE for Operations Execution
High level view of activities performed on 26
satellitesColor codes indicate activities status
(running, paused, failed, completed) and
resources conflicts
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USERS FEEDBACK TIMELINE

• Plan execution and rescheduling allow an
  unprecedented level of automation
• Explicitly represents the constraints (robust
  plans that can resist to changes)
• Safety quality increase (rigorous preparation,
  back up scenarios)
• New features essential for Fleet Management
• Upgraded capacity to handle thousands of
  activities
• Productivity functions Templates (default values
  and constraints for each type of activity),
  Series of activities (routine tasks at regular
  time intervals), Import of schedule "blocks"
• Hierarchical representation of tasks
• Computer-fault tolerance
• Openess to external systems with powerful APIs

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APPLICATION TO GALILEO FLEET

• Engineering phase study for ESA Mission
  Planning Control
• 30 Satellites on 3 orbit planes
• Ground Control Segment Mission Control Segment
  (dedicated stations)
• Each segment requires operations automation

• Automatic routine operations is a must
• Key point smooth management of non-nominal
  situations
• TIMELINE is a solution for
• Off-line contact schedule preparation
• Operations schedule automation
• Operations Engineering

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CONCLUSION

• New Operations Layer functions allow efficient
  unification automation of operations
• OPSWARE products implement operations concept
  suited for most kinds of missions in LEO / MEO /
  GEO, from single satellite to large fleet
• Completely address preparation tasks
• Allow high degree of automation (adaptable)
• Robust to contingencies
• Ready-to-integrate within existing
  infrastructures (APIs)
• Reuse existing components of Control Centers
• Plug on top of any TM / TC layer
• Demonstrated significant cost reductions
• Development Costs modular offer designed for
  reuse
• Operations Costs Preparation Validation
  Execution Costs (efficiency, reliability)
• Build operator confidence