Re-Engineering the Mission Operation System (MOS) for the Prime and Extended Mission

Abstract

One of the most challenging tasks in a space science mission is designing the Mission Operations System (MOS). Whereas the focus of the project is getting the spacecraft built and tested for launch, the mission operations engineers must build a system to carry out the science objectives. The completed MOS design is then formally assessed in the many reviews. Once a mission has completed the reviews, the Mission Operation System (MOS) design has been validated to the Functional Requirements and is ready for operations. The design was built based on heritage processes, new technology, and lessons learned from past experience. Furthermore, our operational concepts must be properly mapped to the mission design and science objectives. However, during the course of implementing the science objective in the operations phase after launch, the MOS experiences an evolutional change to adapt for actual performance characteristics. This drives the re-engineering of the MOS, because the MOS includes the flight and ground segments. Using the Spitzer mission as an example we demonstrate how the MOS design evolved for both the prime and extended mission to enhance the overall efficiency for science return. In our re-engineering process, we ensured that no requirements were violated or mission objectives compromised. In most cases, optimized performance across the MOS, including gains in science return as well as savings in the budget profile was achieved. Finally, we suggest a need to better categorize the Operations Phase (Phase E) in the NASA Life-Cycle Phases of Formulation and Implementation.

Spitzer Space Telescope: Innovations and Optimizations in the Extended Mission Era

“…The infrared observational capabilities within the Warm and Beyond phases remain undiminished or improved despite the challenges presented by an aging spacecraft, instrument, and ground systems or those limitations encountered by an increasing distance from Earth. The multiple ways the mission operations was re-engineered for the prime and beginning of the Warm Mission were presented previously [8] . The paper aims to present three main lessons our teams have learned from the later years.…”