Automation of ESOC Mission Operations

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Automation of ESOC Mission Operations
SpaceOps 2006

• G. P. Calzolari, Y. Doat, S. Haag, C. R. Haddow,
  M. Pecchioli and E. M. Sørensen
• ESA/ESOC, Robert Bosch Straße 5, 64293 Darmstadt,
  Germany

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Presentation Overview

• Background
• What is missing
• Target architecture
• ESTRACK Management System (EMS)
• Service Management Framework (SMF)
• Mission AuTomatIon System (MATIS)
• MCS Infrastructure Upgrades
• Issues
• Conclusions

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Background 1/2

• Ground station resources scheduling is currently
  largely a manual process
• Spacecraft planning carried out by mission
  specific Mission Planning Systems, interacting
  with the Flight Dynamics System
• Responsibility for run-time monitoring and
  control of shared resources (e.g. stations) falls
  under the network operator
• Responsibility for mission operations via mission
  dedicated elements (e.g. Mission Control System)
  under the spacecraft controllers (SPACONs)
• Coordination between the different operators
  during execution phase via voice loops

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Background 2/2

• ESA Tracking Network has increased in size,
  capabilities and complexity (migration from
  mission dedicated facility to a multi-mission
  approach with ground station shared between
  several missions). This imposes the need to
  increase reliability of service, resource
  optimization and reduction of manual
  interventions
• Spacecraft routine operations as such are largely
  executed without operator interaction but control
  centre operations arent, primarily due to the
  fact that ESOC MCS infrastructure is lagging
  behind in the area of support to mission
  operations automation
• Missions are adopting ad-hoc solutions to
  minimize the load on spacecraft operators

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Objectives of Automation

• Enable optimised utilisation of shared resources
• ? Reduced cost
• Enable reduction of the global number of
  operators required per shift and/or enable
  execution of lights-off operations
• ? Reduced cost
• Enable automated execution of repetitive
  operations
• ? Increased reliability
• Enable automated reaction to ground equipment
  failures
• ? Increased operational resilience

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Automation Concept Highlights

• Similar split of responsibilities as present but
  operators activities supported and/or
  autonomously executed by automation tools
• Clear split between preparation, planning and
  execution
• Central system responsible for planning,
  scheduling and MC operations execution of shared
  resources
• Mission dedicated systems for the planning and
  execution of spacecraft operations and related
  control center systems operations
• Loose coupling between central and mission
  dedicated systems.

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System Context for Operations Automation
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ESTRACK Management System (EMS) Overview
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Network Service Allocation
EMS User
EMS

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ESTRACK Planning System (EPS)

• Creates resource allocation plan for ESTRACK
• Models stations resources
• Input based on mission agreement on station
  availability (I.e. standing order)
• Flight Dynamics prediction used to determine when
  mission have station visibility
• Mission can submit refinement requests
• Output conflict free resource ESTRACK Management
  Plan (EMP)

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ESTRACK Scheduling System (ESS)

• Input is the conflict free ESTRACK Management
  Plan
• Generates schedules for use for Station Computer
• Generates Service Instance Configuration Files
  (SICF) for use by station equipment and Network
  Interface System (NIS)
• SICFs also produced for SLE compliant external
  facilities

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ESTRACK Coordination System (ECS)

• Downloads schedules to station equipment
• Monitors service provision and schedule execution
• Control schedule
• Coordinates possible with MAS via loosely coupled
  messaging system utilising the SMF
• Logs events and generates reports
• Executes EMS Master Schedule From ESS

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Service Management Framework (SMF)

• SMF is a service provision middleware
  infrastructure designed to be generic.
• Can be tailored to expose the services of
  different software systems.
• Scalable and flexible architecture and run time
  environment.
• Ensures transparent access to a service i.e.
  independence of underlying implementation.

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SMF Components

• External User
• Application Software assessing the services
• Session Manager
• User access manager
• Service Directory System
• Central repository of the Services Location
• Service Request Handler
• Separation layer from the service consumer and
  the service provider
• Driver
• Component that allows the access to the services
  exposed by the Application Unit.
• Application Unit
• Application exposing the services

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Mission Automation System (MATIS)

• Responsible for the automation of operations
  executed via mission dedicated facilities
  (automated spacecraft controller)
• Executes schedules prepared by the mission
  specific planning system or manually prepared
• Supports execution of predefined procedures
• Procedures can initiate any action published by
  the control center systems (e.g. S2KNIS) via SMF
• Implementation based on S2K low level services
  and Vitrociset product ASE (schedules/procedure
  execution engine)

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MATIS Preparation Environment

• Allows user to create/manipulate a Mission
  Automation User Schedule (MAUS)
• Intended to be used for standing orders that
  always apply (e.g. produce daily printouts)
• Provides facilities for importing/validating a
  schedule generated by the Mission Planning System
• Provides facilities to import Procedures defined
  by the Operation Preparation System (MOIS). No
  capability to create/edit procedures

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MATIS Execution Environment

• MATIS will support the execution of schedules
  containing procedure execution requests, events
  and links between them
• Multiple schedules may be running at a time and
  schedules may contain parallel executing
  procedures
• MATIS will support the execution of procedures
  defined according to the PLUTO standard syntax
• Either called by a Schedule
• Or manually loaded by the user
• Interaction between the various
  schedules/procedures will be possible
• User control of schedule/procedures execution
  possible via Graphical User Interface.

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MATIS Execution Layers
1 MAPS Mission automation planned schedule 2
MAUS (mission automation user schedule)
Calendar Monitoring 3 Schedule execution
request 4. Procedure execution, tracing.
MATIS
LAYERS MAPS and MAUS Scheduling, Standing orders
1
3
4
2
MAPS and MAUS execution, Task scheduling, Event
check point management
Procedure execution, Activity initiation,
Contingency handling
External services invocation, external event
handling
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MCS Infrastructure Upgrades for Automation

• The SCOS-2000 kernel (R5.0) and the NIS (R1.0)
  will enable access (via SMF) to all functions
  required for automation
• The EGOS Data Dissemination System (EDDS) will
  support services enabling tools á la MUST to
  access data required e.g. to automate the
  routine operations planning and/or the reporting
• A new application (MATIS) will be developed
  supporting automated execution of schedules and
  procedures (accessing SMF services)

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Developments Status and plan
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Issues

• Automation requires upfront investment!
• No infrastructure available in the medium-term in
  the area of Mission Planning Systems
• Missions will have to develop their own
  interfaces to EMS/MATIS
• Will other systems (e.g. FDS) adopt SMF?
• The infrastructure commitments/plans are very
  ambitious!

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Conclusions

• Flexible concept has been developed
• Covers shared and mission dedicated resources
• Will allow gradual increase in the amount of
  automation as products are delivered and
  procedures are defined and debugged
• Extendable to cover most of the elements in the
  ground segment
• Ambitious infrastructure development plan!

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Thank you for your attention.Questions ?