Flight Dynamics Software

TechCom offers customers the same high-performance software originally developed by ASTRA to support its pioneering practices in the area of geostationary satellite station-keeping and collocation. The software has been thoroughly tested and successfully used in a live environment to collocate as many as eight satellites within a small longitude window. The flight dynamics software supports all satellite platforms currently operated by ASTRA. It can manage orbit determination and control for a single spacecraft or multiple collocated satellites, including satellites equipped with low thrust propulsion.

The package is composed of several independent modules that cover all aspects of station-keeping and collocation, including accurate orbit determination (ORBIT), long-term maneuver planning (MAPLA), event prediction (EVENT), collocation targeting and monitoring (INCTARG and COLO) and maneuver calibration.

Other ASTRA-developed satellite platform-specific tools are also available. These include: computation of maneuver parameters to be uploaded to the satellite (MESGEN); maneuver reconstruction from telemetry data (AMAREC); and lifetime estimation and propulsion system management (TANKSIM). Specific modules also exist for events such as satellite relocation or recovery from anomaly (RELOC, RECOV).

In addition the TechCom portfolio includes a near-real-time station-keeping and collocation monitoring and alarm system. The system continuously performs orbit determination and monitors maneuver performance, station-keeping and collocation constraints, and autonomously sends alarms in case of constraints violations.