fully automated station-keeping for new generation of

Quentin Rhoné – [email protected]

FDSSO conference - 23 september 2021

Fully automated station-keeping for new

generation of Airbus observation satellites

23/09/2021 Copyright Airbus Defence and Space, all rights reserved2

Confidential

Outline Context

Quartz product Software architecture

Capabilities

Station-keeping automation

Automation objectives

Focus on each objectives

Conclusion

Context


French Atlantic coast pictures taken by Pleiades Neo satellites

Context Quartz product Automation Conclusion

The new generation of Quartz is based on modern web-technologies,

yet still benefits from the years of experience acquired by the previous generation.

It is used by AIRBUS observation Pleiades NEO satellites (2021 launches)

23/09/20214 Copyright Airbus Defence and Space, all rights reserved

Quartz Product


Architecture, GUI & Capabilities

Quartz Architecture

Architecture choices have been driven by operation needs. Launching runs by several

operators or in batch is equivalent for the server.

secure network, no internet access required

database

Operator 1

Operator N

Operator 2

Quartz Server


Context Quartz Product Automation Conclusion

SCC

Quartz Interface

Modern in-browser interface :

• Very intuitive

• Multi-task using browser tabs

• Perfectly suited for multi-screen

displays

• No installation on workstation

• Access secured via personal login

REST-API support to easily perform

batch computations


Context Quartz product Automation Conclusion

Capabilities (1/2)



Covers all flight-dynamics needs

• Mission profiles

– Geostationary orbits

– Low Earth orbits

• Mission phases

– Launch and Early Operations

– Station-Keeping (SK)

– End of Life

• Propulsion types

– Chemical

– Electrical



Capabilities (2/2)

Quartz is fully connected to its

environment:

• Any automatic or manual FDS

activity is stored in Quartz

database and can be re-

opened/re-run

• Quartz broadcasts a large

selection of outputs toward the

control center (telecommands,

ephemeris, events…) and the

operators for monitoring and

alarms.

• For collision avoidance

management, Quartz is

interfaced with some conjunction

data message (CDM) providers

Full station-keeping automation


Automation objectives

• To guarantee a high quality service,

numerous objectives are always seeked by

FD teams:

• SK improved accuracy

• Reactivity to changing environment

• Increase spacecraft safety

• Decrease operational costs

• At Airbus, automation of station keeping was

seen as a promising solution to all these

objectives

• Quartz is designed in accordance with it in

terms of architecture, data flow & interfaces

with the SCC.


Context Quartz Product Full SK Automation Conclusion

Cons Pros


Automated activities

Context Quartz product Full SK Automation Conclusion

• All Flight Dynamics activities

necessary to station-keeping are

automated

• The FD sequence is run after each

visibility

• The global sequence runs in less

than 30 minutes (including risk

avoidance management)

Partial

automation

Partial

automation

Fully validated by the first months of automated Station Keeping on PNEO 3 & 4

Partial

automation


More accurate station-keeping


Automatic orbit control is activated once after each visibility

• Orbit knowledge is updated

• Covariance is kept small

• Constraints are updated frequently

• SK maneuver needs are updated

Coupled with high precision thrust, the station-keeping

accuracy can be achieved very accurately

Maneuver implementation takes multiple constraints into

account :

• Spacecraft constraints

• Mission constraints

• Environment evolutions

SK accuracy improved despite numerous constraints

Plots provided by Quartz are powerful tools to monitor automated

activities


Improved collision risk avoidance


Collision risk avoidance maneuver implementation is

integrated to the station keeping FD sequence:

• It performs multi debris avoidance to decrease the global

risk over a pre-defined horizon

• High frequency automated exchanges with 18SPCS

(ephemeris upload / CDM download)

• Risk computation with the most recent orbit knowledge

• Scaling Probability of Collision (PoC) maximize the

spacecraft safety

• Collision Avoidance Maneuvers (CAM) computation

optimization finds an optimal solution in terms of risk

decrease

PNEO 3 first CAM

• Global risk exceeded the threshold 3h before

Time of Closest Approach (TCA)

• Automatic CAM computed immediately to

decrease the risk

• CAM automatically uploaded at the next visibility

This system offers a higher reactivity for collision avoidance management

time

TCA

Global PoC >

threeshold

CAM upload CAM

3h duration


Higher reactivity level


Quartz environment has a strong dynamic and requires

many updates to be performant (see table 1).

Automation allows Quartz to get this high update

frequency.

Focus on time-efficient activities and on setting-up a well-

oiled data flow

Environment parameters

Typical updatefrequency

Data provider

Conjunction Data Message (CDM)

Every 8h 18 SPCS / EU-SST

Mission plan Every visibility Mission center

Orbit knowledge Every visibility Quartz orbit determination

Spacecraft parameters

Every visibility Control center / telemetry

Solar activity Every day Suitable website

IERS data Every day Suitable website

Quartz data are frequently updated to obtain high reactivity

Table 1: As SK environment is constantly evolving, Quartz updates

regularly its data from different data providers


Low Flight Dynamics operational costs


• By design, no Flight Dynamics daily manual operations

• Operational team is in charge of long term management and

reporting

• Airbus Flight Dynamics software developments team is in

charge of Quartz maintenance

• Airbus Flight Dynamics specialists are on-call for specific

support

Flight Dynamics automation allows staff savings

Daily operational costs

Saved time for Flight

Dynamics specialists

Conclusion


Confidential



QUARTZ, a modern Flight Dynamics Software

Significant Airbus experience in Flight Dynamics

Intuitive GUI

Powerful framework features

Performant algorithms

QUARTZ for automations Simplified automation set-up of any manual feature

Full station-keeping automation improves reactivity, accuracy and spacecraft safety

Operational costs are heavily reduced

QUARTZ, an operational software Operates last Airbus observation satellites

Several month of successful in-flight automated operations

First automated collision avoidance maneuver realized from Airbus control center

In a few words

Pleiades Neo 3 Flight Dynamics activities are automated with

Quartz software

Pleiades Neo 3 image of Singapore

Thank you

Copyright mention

fully automated station-keeping for new generation of

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