Mission Design & Implementation of Satellite Constellations

The papers contained in this Volume of Proceedings have been collected from an international Workshop entitled 'Mission Design and Implementation of Satellite Constellations' which was held in Toulouse, France, in November 1997. This Workshop represented the first international gathering of the specialists in this currently very active field of research activity. The initiative to organise a Workshop around this theme was conceived during the Congress of the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) in Beijing, China, in October 1996. On that occasion, the IAF explored concepts and possibilities for the conduct of small specialist Workshops and Symposia of current interest. Topical, interesting, and focused themes in the general field of space technology (both theories and applications) will be selected for these Symposia. They aim at offering a dedicated forum at international level for specialists and experts to exchange their views and experiences on recent and future developments within the selected theme. These specialist Workshops and Symposia supplement the comprehensive annual IAF Congresses which cover all aspects of space technology and draw a correspondingly diverse audience.

Inhalt
Keynote Address.- Towards an Integrated Space System.- 1.Mission Design of Satellite Constellations.- 1.1 Design Guidelines for Post-2000 Constellations.- 1.2 Satellite Constellation Design: Searching for Global Cost-Efficiency Trade-Offs.- 1.3 A Generalized Analysis Methodology for Distributed Satellite Systems.- 1.4 A Comparison of Satellite Constellations for Continuous Global Coverage.- 1.5 Constellations for High Elevation Angles.- 1.6 Hybrid Configurations for Satellite Constellations.- 1.7 The Skymed/Cosmo Project.- 2.Deployment of Tele-Communications Constellations.- 2.1 Mission Design of the ORBCOMM Constellation.- 2.2 Launching and Building the IRIDIUM Constellation.- 2.3 Optimisation of the ELLIPSO and ELLIPSO 2 G Personal Communications Systems.- 2.4 The Skybridge Constellation Design.- 2.5 The West Project: A Hybrid Constellation Dedicated to the Ubiquitous Access of the 'Information Society'.- 2.6 A Teledesic Space Infrastructure Overview.- 3.Navigation and Data Relay Services.- 3.1 Constellation Studies for Future Navigation System.- 3.2 Satellite Constellation Design for Navigation Needs.- 3.4 Transition Phase for a New Navigation System Based on a Constellation of LEO Satellites.- 3.3 KEOPS: Krystal European in Orbit Positioning System.- 3.5 COMRING A Constellation of Small Satellites for Real-Time Data Relay.- 3.6 Dial-A-Satellite: First Results from a Feasibility Study.- 4.Orbit Design, Control, and Operations.- 4.1 An Optimal Orbit Control Strategy for the Archimedes Mission.- 4.2 Orbit Design Analysis for Remote Sensing Satellite Constellations.- 4.3 Enhanced Formation Flying for the New Millenium and Mission to Planet Earth Programs.- 4.4 Autonomous Orbit Determination and Control in Constellations of Satellites.- 4.5 AutonomousConstellation Maintenance.- 4.6 Automated Station-Keeping for Satellite Constellations.- 5.Collision and Debris Risk Assessment and Mitigation.- 5.1 Monitoring of Objects in Space with the US Space Surveillance Network.- 5.2 Orbital Debris Collision Risks to Satellite Constellations.- 5.3 Interaction of the Satellite Constellations with the Low Earth Orbit Debris Environment.- 5.4 Determination of Close Approaches for Constellations of Satellites.- 5.5 The Terminator Tether: An Efficient Mechanism for End-of-Life Deorbit of Constellation Spacecraft.- 6.Modelling, Analysis, and Simulation.- 6.1 ORION A Constellation Mission Analysis Tool.- 6.2 A Workshop for Constellation Dimensioning in CNES.- 6.3 An Integrated Software System for Constellation Analysis.- 6.4 Performance Analysis Tools for Constellations of Navigation Satellites.- 6.5 Application of Computer Modelling to Assess Constellation Performance.- 6.6 Mission Planning for Remote Sensing Satellite Constellation.- Workshop Conclusions.- Concluding Remarks.- Appendix: List of Participants.