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.

Klappentext

This volume of proceedings contains papers presented at an international Workshop entitled Mission Design and Implementation of Satellite Constellations in Toulouse, France, in November 1997. This Workshop represented the first international gathering of specialists in this currently very active field of research. The rise of satellite constellations during the last few years is undoubtedly the most important and most exciting development in the satellite commercial domain since the beginning of GEO (geostationary earth orbit) communication services in the early 60s. A total of 37 papers are presented on topics covering constellation mission design, mission analysis and simulation, orbit selection, constellation deployment, maintenance, services and operations. The papers compiled in this volume are of strong topical appeal in view of the present rapid evolution of satellite constellation applications in the fields of telecommunications, navigation, and earth observation. Real-world applications that are addressed include voice and data communications, navigation, and data relay services as well as earth observations. Specific studies and experiences are provided on many actual constellation projects for telephone, data messaging, and broad-band data communications services such as Iridium, Orbcomm, Skybridge, Celestri, Teledesic, among others. Constellations for navigation services (for instance the Global Navigation Satellite System or GNSS) and for earth observation applications (for instance SkyMed/Cosmo) are also addressed. Finally, collision and orbital debris risk issues associated with satellite constellations as well as the proposed mitigation measures receive notable attention. The unique and novel characteristics of satellite constellation systems have not only rejuvenated satellite system design but have also brought new life to classical flight dynamics disciplines such as orbital mechanics, station-acquisition and station-keeping concepts: all of these aspects are addressed in detail in this volume of proceedings. The book will be of considerable interest to both engineers and managers who are active in the design and implementation of satellite constellation projects. Even a non-specialist reader with a fascination for recent technological developments may profit from reading this book. The reader will find a large number of stimulating ideas and interesting results which will enable him to achieve a good understanding of the issues pertinent to an effective design and implementation of satellite constellations and to the implementation of the associated real-world services.

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.