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End-of-Mission Planning Challenges for a Satellite in a ConstellationAt the end of a mission, satellites embedded in a constellation must first perform propulsive maneuvers to safely exit the constellation before they can begin with the usual end-of-mission activities: deorbit, passivation, and decommissioning. The target orbit for these exit maneuvers must be sufficiently below the remaining constellation satellites such that, once achieved, there is no longer risk of close conjunctions. Yet, the exit maneuvers must be done based on the spacecraft's state of health and operational capability when the decision to end the mission is made. This paper focuses on the recently developed exit strategy for the CloudSat mission to highlight problems and issues, which forced the discarding of CloudSat's original EoM Plan and its replacement with a new plan consistent with changes to the spacecraft's original operational mode. The analyses behind and decisions made in formulating this new exit strategy will be of interest to other missions in a constellation currently preparing to update their End-of-Mission Plan.


Document ID
20150007817
Acquisition Source
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Document Type
Conference Paper
External Source(s)
Authors
Boain, Ronald J.
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Date Acquired
May 8, 2015
Publication Date
October 9, 2013
Subject Category
Spacecraft Design, Testing And Performance
Meeting Information
Meeting: International Earth Observation Convoy and Constellation Concepts Workshop
Location: Noordwijk
Country: Netherlands
Start Date: October 9, 2013
End Date: October 11, 2013
Sponsors: European Space Agency. European Space Research and Technology Center, ESTEC
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other
Keywords
CloudSat
end-of-mission (EoM)
Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO)
Afternoon Constellation (a.k.a. "A-Train")
Aura
safe exit orbit
Aqua
A-Train Mission Operations Working Group (MOWG)
Global Change Observation Mission 1st-Water (GCOM W1)

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