Multi-Satellite Collaborative Mission Planning

Please note: due to the nature of defense work, details are omitted, and information is edited to represent notional systems or capabilities.

Problem Statement

Legacy space vehicles (satellites) are massive, all-in-one systems that provide ample mission capability with a single space vehicle or multiple space vehicles working in some groups. The cost of launch is high. The cost of construction is high. And with modern anti-satellite capabilities, the risk of losing the space vehicle is high.

Modern space vehicles are pivoting to small, modular systems that are inexpensive to launch, develop, and allow flexibility in development for enhancements. But provide tougher mission planning constraints, since space vehicle ground system operators need to control many systems to accomplish a mission together.

So, ground system operators need tools that provide insight to what systems are available to solve a task or “activity”, the quality of performance of the activity, and the resources spent to accomplish the activity.

Process

Followed a traditional UX process of research, define, ideate, prototype, and test.

I conducted the following tasks:

• Research with SMEs that are working on new concepts and standard operating procedures, and actual ground system operators for current systems and processes

• Defined the problem based on research, government requirements, and necessary performance parameters with our customers inputs and priorities

• Designed numerous concepts with goals delivering solution at varying costs, complexity, and time to implement

• Developed prototype concepts with Adobe XD and Figma prototype features

• Collaborated with software development teams on potential recommender systems, automated schedulers, and COTS services available

• Tested concepts with SMEs and ground system operators used in initial research

• Iterated on concepts based on SME and ground system operator feedback

Solution

The future mission planning system had an increased number of space vehicles with an operational goal to reduce the number of ground system operators and payload operators required to manage the system. The new mission planning tool needed to provide the following:

• Collaboration between operators from dispersed locations to support mission planning and execution

• Provide clear summaries of problems and integrated troubleshooting tools

• Provide automated scheduling to reduce data entry

• Allow for planners to build around “activities” which show the task intended to be solved instead of just planning what a space vehicle is doing

• Policy recommendations for process improvement