Global Operations for the next Century

Joe Cunningham
cunningham@stk.com
Analytical Graphics, Inc.  United Kingdom

Abstract:
The beginning of any space systems development requires mission planning to 
ensure requirements defined in customer and/or user specifications can be 
achieved at the end of a development cycle. It is always difficult to understand 
what a satellite might do before all systems are integrated.

With explosive information and technology growth, analysts are faced with an 
urgentneed to collect, process and disseminate information of complex satellite 
systems. Relationships among, aircraft, satellites, ground stations, ships, 
ground vehicles and targets have long provided complex analytical challenges. 
Difficult engineering tasks also arise, for example, performing verifications 
and consistency checks betweensatellite operational trade-offs and satellite 
design optimization.

Highly sophisticated computer modeling now enhances real time analysis by 
allowing visualization in three spatial dimensions plus time. In the field of 
aerospace, these advancements provide analytical and visual power to participants 
of all levels of the decision making continuum, from field operations to central 
command posts and boardrooms.

Therefore, the goal of using Satellite Tool Kit (STK), a commercially available 
product, in mission related aspects of system design are:  ability for designers 
to model mission scenarios in real time, extraction of information covering areas 
such as orbit generation, mission duration, pointing of sensors, planning orbit 
maneuvers,displaying attitude, ground station coverage, determining data handling 
capabilities and analyzing up-link and down-link communication sequences.

One of the key benefits of using STK is the identification of mission critical 
elements, such as lifetime in orbit, or ground segment trade-offs. Development 
of application scenarios and the relationship of multiple objects or satellites 
which comprise a mission data model over time can be generated in a fraction of 
the time that it would take without these tools, thereby, standardizing mission 
applications so they can be examined in the context of customer, specific user or 
system engineering requirements.