On-Orbit Servicing Mission Operations at GSOC

Abstract

On-Orbit Servicing (OOS) is not only an option for the repair and the upgrade of space assets that suffer from technical failures but might also be a promising business case, e.g. extending the lifetime of geostationary communication satellites. Another example of robotic service operations would be the servicing of low-earth orbit satellites. Currently, this expertise is being developed at GSOC in order to operate the Orbit Life Extension Vehicle (OLEV) and the German Orbital Servicing Mission (DEOS). The multinational commercial mission OLEV will achieve this task by docking a smaller servicer spacecraft to the apogee engine nozzle of a regular geostationary communication satellite and performing the station keeping task for a number of additional years in service and a de-orbiting at the end. The mission features a novel space-application of interesting technologies like high level autonomy and robotics. Contrary to the other mission phases, a different network architecture must be used because of the challenging telepresence (short latency) requirement. This requirement holds also true for the technology demonstration mission DEOS, as its robotic docking, berthing and de-berthing operations of the two spacecrafts are to be carried out by video-based telepresence. Due to the different orbit heights of both missions, the resulting requirements on the network differ significantly. Whereas in DEOS both spacecrafts (servicer and client) are controlled by one team at GSOC, OLEV is characterized by operating the satellites with very close coordination between GSOC and the client control center. This paper presents the special features and resulting distinctive challenges of these missions and how GSOC copes with them during the mission preparation, i.e. how they are reflected in the ground system design as well as the flight operations of the respective phases.