Evaluating the new CCSDS mission planning and scheduling standard: how TGO and EnMAP could have benefitted from an interoperability standard for the exchange of mission planning and scheduling information

Abstract

Work on the CCSDS Mission Planning and Scheduling (MPS) standard is currently nearing completion. This paper starts with providing a thorough introduction to the standard and then assesses how the upcoming MPS standard could potentially improve the interoperability of actual space missions. In this respect it will provide an evaluation of how the standard could potentially be applied in two missions currently in orbit, ESAs Mars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) and DLRs Earth Observation mission EnMAP. In the meantime, an additional evaluation of ESAs OPS-SAT mission has become available and has been included in the paper. As part of the analysis, first the most relevant interfaces of each mission will be described. It is then discussed how these interfaces could potentially be mapped onto CCSDS MPS service operations. Finally, it is assessed what would be the advantages of this new approach and where project-specific challenges remain. In addition, shortcoming will be identified, either with the MPS standard itself or in general with related CCSDS standards that are applicable to the mission ground segment.