- Orbital Technologies, Inc. (Orbitec), Madison, Wisconsin, and their projects.
- Payload Systems, Inc., Cambridge,
Massachusetts, and their current projects.
- Wisconsin Center for Space Automation
and Robotics (WCSAR), Madison, Wisconsin, and their hardware.
- Space Hardware Optimization Technologies
(SHOT), Floyd Knobs, Indiana, and their hardware products.
- BioServe Space
Technologies, Boulder, Colorado.
Design Process as applied to Payload / Instrument
Design:
Charles D. Brown (2002): Elements of Spacecraft Design
Systems Engineering: Enables subsystems to work together,
including:
·
Requirements Definition
·
Resource Allocation and Management
·
System Level Trade System
·
Technical Integration of subsystems / spacecraft
integration
Vincent L. Pisacane, Robert C. Moore (1994): Fundamentals
of Space Systems
·
Orderly development, operation and phase-out of
space system satisfying customer need.
·
System Needs à Requirements à
Specifications à
Design à
Integration and Test à launch and operation
·
Trade Studies: “The best is the enemy of
the good” (Voltaire, 1764)
1.
Idea / need / fundamental requirements
(customer, strategic planning)
2.
Feasibility Check
Phase A
– Preliminary Analysis (multiple contractors)
1.
Concept trades
2.
Key technologies
3.
Cost, time, resource evaluation
==> Conceptual design that will meet mission statement,
no technical flaws, consistent
Phase B – Definition
(2 or more contractors)
1.
Trade study for best design
2.
Cost, time, resource estimates for chosen design
and proposing company
==> technical and business
baseline
Phase C – Design
1.
delta-Phase B: revised requirements
2.
Preliminary design: requirements and performance
definition:
a.
functional performance
b.
requirements definition
c.
interface definition
3.
PDR: Preliminary Design review
a.
Design partially frozen
b.
Specifications under change control
4.
Design Phase:
a.
Build / production drawings
b.
Software coding
c.
Some sub-system built and testing
5.
Critical Design Review:
a.
Design frozen, evaluate adequacy of design and
interface definitions
b.
Authorization to proceed
Phase D: Development
1.
fabrication / subcontracts for purchased parts
2.
sub-system level built and test
3.
assembly of flight-qualified sub-assemblies
4.
system level testing:
a.
system level functional tests at different
environments
b.
environmental testing (thermal, vacuum,
acoustics, vibration, EMI)
c.
end-to-end communication testing
d.
mission simulations
==> pre-ship
review
5.
Launch Operations
a.
Re-assembly after shipment
b.
Post-shipment testing
6.
Flight Readiness Review:
7.
Launch
Phase E: Operations
1.
mission operations team
trained during assembly and test, to control and command experiment remotely
and to be proficient at understanding payload condition from flight-like data
streams.
Milestones
Kick-Off
q
Assign Development, Science and Operations team leads.
q
Assign initial team members.
q
Define experiment purpose.
q
Document known science requirements.
Preliminary Design Review (PDR)
Review of conceptual design. The following should have been resolved
or performed and should be presented:
q
Well-defined science requirements
q
Derived hardware requirements
q
Design and science feasibility studies
q
Trade study of alternate designs
q
Expected hardware interfaces with partnered hardware
q
Initial operations and hardware requirements for software
q
Initial project schedule
Critical Design
Review (CDR)
Review of complete design. The following should have been resolved or performed and
should be presented:
q 95% of detailed mechanical and electrical drawings (not all
presented)
q Sub-system definition and design
q Functional tests of prototype
q Verification of interfaces with partnered hardware
q Software architecture and algorithms
q Science tests in prototypes
q
Complete operations and hardware requirements for software
q
Hazard report
q Updated project schedule
Test Readiness Review (TRR)
Review
of implementation of design. This
milestone represents the time at which full configuration control begins. It defines the hardware and software as
complete and ready for fully integrated testing and safety/interface
testing. The following should have been
resolved or performed and should be presented:
q Full documentation of hardware and software configuration
(instantiation of PCOB)
q Review of hardware open items
q Functional tests of sub-systems
q Science simulation in prototype
q Final experiment definition by science team
q Updated project schedule
Bench Review
Review
of final flight configuration. The
following should have been resolved or performed and should be presented:
q Review of integrated testing
q Review of test anomalies
q Review of hardware open items
q Review of safety/integration
verifications
q Final experiment setpoints, profiles, schedules, etc. by
science team
q Updated project schedule
Flight Readiness Review (FRR)
Review
of flight-ready payload. The
following should have been resolved or performed and should be presented:
q Closing of all hardware open
items
q Closing of all test anomalies
q All internal/external paperwork
is in order
q Payload is in full flight
configuration
q Updated project schedule
