Ground Systems and Flight Operations of the THEMIS Constellation Mission

Bester, M.; Lewis, Mark; Roberts, Bryce; Croton, Linda C. P.; Dumlao, Renee; Eckert, M.; McDonald, John A.; Pease, Deron O.; Smith, Christopher L.; Thorsness, Jeremy; Wheelwright, J.; Frey, S.; Cosgrove, Daniel; Ludlam, M.; Rummel, D.; Richard, H.; Quinn, Timothy J.; Loran, J.; Boyd, Robert L.; Quan, C.; Clemons, T. M.

doi:10.1109/aero.2008.4526662

Cited by 16 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…The [5], [6]. The simultaneous launch of five new spacecraft almost tripled the number of active satellites to be managed by the operations group at UCB/SSL.…”

Section: Multi-mission Operations At Uc Berkeleymentioning

confidence: 99%

Automated multi-mission scheduling and control center operations at UC Berkeley

Bester

2009

2009 IEEE Aerospace Conference

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UC Berkeley has been operating eight spacecraft from its multi-mission control center at Space Sciences Laboratory, using the local Berkeley Ground Station as well as multiple government and commercial ground networks for space-to-ground communications. This paper describes challenges associated with developing multi-mission contact schedules in a constraint-based environment involving several ground networks with competing users, and presents a solution that provides short turn-around times and applies a high degree of systems automation. 1 2

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“…The [5], [6]. The simultaneous launch of five new spacecraft almost tripled the number of active satellites to be managed by the operations group at UCB/SSL.…”

Section: Multi-mission Operations At Uc Berkeleymentioning

confidence: 99%

Automated multi-mission scheduling and control center operations at UC Berkeley

Bester

2009

2009 IEEE Aerospace Conference

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“…[3,5] The THEMIS and ARTEMIS probes were designed and implemented as spin-stabilized instrument platforms with a nominal spin rate of 20 rpm. Two pairs of spin-plane wire booms extending out to ±25 m and ±20 m, respectively, two axial stacer booms, and two magnetometer booms were deployed on orbit.…”

Section: Concept Of Operationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

ARTEMIS operations - Experiences and lessons learned

Bester

Cosgrove

Frey

et al. 2014

2014 IEEE Aerospace Conference

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THEMIS, a constellation of five spacecraft, referred to as probes, was launched in 2007 to study the physical processes leading to the aurora. In 2009, THEMIS successfully completed its primary mission phase. As an ambitious mission extension, the constellation was then split into two new missions -THEMIS-Low and ARTEMIS. THEMIS-Low refers to three of the five probes that continued magnetospheric observations in Earth orbits while the remaining two probes started a new lunar mission called ARTEMIS. The two ARTEMIS probes were transferred from Earth to lunar orbits via low-energy trajectories with Earth and lunar gravity assists. The complex mission design and navigation operations took the two probes on trajectories along weak stability boundary manifolds, venturing out as far as 1,500,000 km and 1,200,000 km from Earth, respectively. Upon arrival in the lunar environment, both probes were first inserted into libration point orbits where they spent up to ten months collecting science data. Periodic stationkeeping maneuvers were executed to ensure the two probes would not be ejected from these unstable orbits. In 2011, both probes were successfully inserted into stable, retrograde and prograde lunar orbits, respectively. We report on the challenges with executing the complex navigation plans, discuss experiences and lessons learned from operating two spacecraft in lunar libration point orbits for the first time ever, and finally cover mission planning and science operations in the lunar environment.

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“…2. SatTrack-a comprehensive COTS software suite that controls, monitors, coordinates and automates most aspects of the ground system, such as the completely automated operation of the Berkeley Ground Station, scheduling, maintaining and disseminating the operational pass schedule for all active satellites, routing command and telemetry streams between ground stations and command and telemetry workstations, and autonomously configuring ITOS and other software clients prior to each pass support (Bester et al 2008). The SatTrack Suite also generates and distributes daily-updated orbital data products necessary for science planning, pass support, and maneuver execution.…”

Section: Software Toolsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Following an initial 30-day on-orbit check-out and science instrument commissioning period, the probes were placed into nearly identical, temporary coast phase orbits to control orbital dispersions. Mission orbit placement in preparation for the first winter observing season commenced in early September 2007, and the constellation was fully deployed by mid January 2008 (Bester et al 2008;Frey et al 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

THEMIS Operations

et al. 2008

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THEMIS-a five-spacecraft constellation to study magnetospheric events leading to auroral outbursts-launched on February 17, 2007. All aspects of operations are conducted at the Mission Operations Center at the University of California at Berkeley. Activities of the multi-mission operations team include mission and science operations, flight dynamics and ground station operations. Communications with the constellation are primarily established via the Berkeley Ground Station, while NASA's Ground Network provides secondary pass coverage. In addition, NASA's Space Network supports maneuver operations near perigee. Following a successful launch campaign, the operations team performed on-orbit probe bus and instrument check-out and commissioning tasks, and placed the constellation initially into a coast phase orbit configuration to control orbit dispersion and conduct initial science operations during the summer of 2007. Mission orbit placement was completed in the fall of 2007, in time for the first winter observing season in the Earth's magnetospheric tail. Over the course of the first 18 months of on-orbit constellation operations, procedures for instrument configuration, science data acquisition and navigation were refined, and software systems were enhanced. Overall, the implemented ground systems at the Mission Operations Center proved to be very successful and completely adequate to support reliable and efficient constellation operations. A high degree of systems automation is employed to support lights-out operations during off-hours.

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Ground Systems and Flight Operations of the THEMIS Constellation Mission

Cited by 16 publications

References 4 publications

Automated multi-mission scheduling and control center operations at UC Berkeley

Automated multi-mission scheduling and control center operations at UC Berkeley

ARTEMIS operations - Experiences and lessons learned

THEMIS Operations

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