The aim of the Ionosphere Prediction Service (IPS) project is to design and develop a prototype platform to translate the prediction and forecast of the ionosphere effects into a service customized for specific GNSS user communities. The project team is composed by Telespazio (coordinator), Nottingham Scientific Ltd, Telespazio Vega Deutschland, the University of Nottingham, the University of Rome “Tor Vergata” and the Italian Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV). The IPS development is conceived of two concurrent activities: prototype service design and development & research activity that will run along the whole project. Service design and development is conceived into four phases: user requirements collection, architecture specification, implementation and validation of the prototype. A sub-activity analyses also the integration feasibility in the Galileo Service center, located in Madrid. The research activity is the scientific backbone of IPS that will provide the models and algorithms for the forecasting products.

Space Situational Awareness (SSA) is crucial for the safety of valuable space assets and the services provided by them. Some examples of these services are navigation, communication, broadcasting, environment protection, earth observation, meteorology and science. Due to the harsh space environment, debris, micrometeorites, number of satellites in orbit, the increasing number of actors in space, and the lack of means to protect or repair space assets makes Space Situational Awareness a key for reducing risk in space operations. After an introduction to the problem and a brief summary of the required infrastructure, this paper discusses the capabilities needed to overcome the challenges and to achieve Space Situational Awareness.

ATB is a software simulation framework modeling orbital and spacecraft dynamics, environment, and Attitude and Orbit Control System (AOCS) sensors and actuators. It is an ideal tool for organizations wanting to increase their awareness and knowledge of satellite AOCS closed loop systems. It includes closed-loop functional control models which utilize the sensor and actuator software models, and is an excellent starting point for system concept analysis, and attitude and orbit control algorithm development. This paper introduces ATB, describes some of its features, latest developments of the software and concludes with a discussion of its multiple potential uses.

No abstract

This paper describes the functionality and the main components of the Simulation & Visualization tool Wokbook (SimVis) including the Mission Designer, the Run-Time Environment, and the Model Library. The Mission l Mdil Designer encompasses the Mission, Catalogue, Assembly,