European Space Operations Centre

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European Space Operations Centre
The Rosetta/Mars Express Mission Control System
SpaceOps2002, Houston October 9-12, 2002
Alessandro Ercolani, Fabienne Delhaise, Paolo
FerriEuropean Space Agency - ESOC

Richard Corkill, Jörg BullmannAnite Systems GmbH
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Outline

• The Rosetta and Mars Express Missions
• Ground Segment and Mission Operations
• Mission Control System development at ESA/ESOC
• One MCS software for two missions
• Extensions for R(ME)MCS Specific Functionality
• Data Distribution
• Lessons Learned
• The Future of R(ME)MCS
• Conclusions

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The Rosetta Mission

• Comet Exploration
• Large spacecraft (3-ton), 3-axis stabilised,
  solar array powered
• Launch January 13th, 2003
• 9 years cruise (2003-2011), max distances reached
  5.2 AU from Sun, 6.2 from Earth
• Rendezvous with Comet P-Wirtanen, 2 years
  orbiting the nucleus (estimated 600 m radius) at
  distances down to 1 Km
• Lander delivery at 3 AU distance from Sun, about
  4 from Earth

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Rosetta Spacecraft
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The Mars Express Mission

• Mars Exploration
• Medium-size spacecraft (1-ton), 3-axis
  stabilised, solar array powered
• Launch May/June 2003
• 7 months cruise (arrival December 2003)
• 2 martian years orbiting the planet on a 7.5
  hours polar orbit
• Lander ejection 5 days before spacecraft
  injection into Mars orbit
• Orbiter acts as data relay for Beagle 2 lander
  and other Mars landers

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Mars Express Spacecraft
Credit Marsis
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Ground Segment and Mission Operations
R M O C Rosetta Mission Operations Centre
F D S FLIGHT DYNAMICS SYSTEM
S I M SYSTEM SIMULATOR
M C S MISSION CONTROL SYSTEM
New Norcia 35m Kourou 15m (DSN add-on/back-up)
M P S MISSION PLANNING SYSTEM
D D S DATA DISPOSITION SYSTEM
R L G S Rosetta Lander Ground Segment
R S O C Rosetta Science Operations Centre

• Interface to RMOC / RSOC
• Lander Routine Operations
• Coordinate Lander Payload

• Interface to RMOC / RLOC
• Scientific Mission Planning
• Instrument Command Requests
• Scientific Data Pre-processing
• Science Data Archive.

Orbiter Payload PIs
Lander Payload PIs
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MCS development at ESA/ESOC

• Infrastructure (Scos-2000) Managed by TOS-GI
• Object Oriented design
• Implemented in C
• Use of COTS (CORBA, OODB Management, Archiving
  functionality)
• Scos-2000 evolution (Linux based) Replacement of
  some COTS with open source products
• Scos-2000 evolution itself to become open source
• MCS implementation for Client Missions Managed
  by TOS-GD
• Customisation of the inherited kernel
• Extensions to cover mission specific needs
• Possible retrofit of new functionality into
  Scos-2000

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One MCS software for two missions

• The software is unique for Rosetta and Mars
  Express MCS
• Configuration for one of the two missions is done
  at the moment of installation (environment
  variables and configuration files)
• Server machines (prime and backup) are separate
  for the two missions
• Client workstations are shared in the Dedicated
  Control Room
• Each workstation can be used as a client of
  either Rosetta or Mars Express servers
• Switch from one mission to another is as simple
  as log-out from mission A and log-in as mission B
• Different colors and alarm tones to be used in
  order to avoid confusion

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One MCS software for two missions - Advantages

• Lower development/testing cost
• Easy cross-training for flight controllers
• Easy cross training for software support staff
• Mutual exchange of experience from FCTs

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The RMOC architecture
New Norcia GS
Kourou GS
SIM-X25
SIM W/S
OPSNET
SimLAN
Firewall
RMCS
RMCS
RMCS
RMCS
Server
Server
NCTRS
NCTRS
Backup
Prime
Backup
Prime
FrontEndLAN
OpsLAN
RSDB
RMCS
RMCS
RMCS
DCR
DDS
DDS
SDE/SVF
RMCS
Client
MCR
RMCS
Prime
Backup
Client
RMCS
W/S
PSR
Client
W/S
Client
Prime
SSR
RMCS
W/S
WinFOPS
Prime
W/S
Client
Prime
Prime
W/S
RMOC External Network
FDS
PI
PI
RSOC
PI
PES
PI
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The Rosetta/ Mars Express shared control room
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Extensions for R(ME)MCS specific functionality

• Enhancement of the MTL management taking into
  account the difficulties related to the varying
  propagation delay
• Provision of tools for a better visibility of the
  Onboard Queue status, with the introduction of
  reception/transmission/uplink view concept (for
  deep space)
• File Transfer Protocol to overcome the pitfalls
  of COP-1 protocol in deep space. Used for the
  uplink of plain files or command files. The
  latter can be for immediate or delayed execution
• Combined processing of real-time offline
  Telemetry for command verification and limit
  checking the concept of the offline telemetry
  replayer
• Packet and event displays for PUS packet based
  missions the packet is much more than just a
  transport means

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Data Distribution

• DDS
• Remote access for scientific community (PIs),
  with provision of near real time or offline
  mission data
• Web-RM
• Remote access to packet TM data in a Scos-2000
  like client, e.g. on a PC from home
• TDRS
• Remote access to TM packets and
  extraction/processing of parameters. These are
  provided in spreadsheet files for later analysis
  and display by external dedicated tools

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The DDS architecture

• Data and Catalogue queries on TM, TC and
  auxiliary files
• Requests expressed in XML
• Data available in three ways online via browser,
  via ftp, on CD-ROM

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Lessons learned

• Additional server for Long Term Archive
  external access vs. unique centralised server for
  all activities
• Current approach may present possible performance
  problems due to load induced by external access,
  but its architecture is much simpler
• Common database approach to achieve an integrated
  system environment for check-out and operations
  has it worked?
• Possibly better in case the same system is used
  for operations and EGSE, e.g. Scos-2000 for
  Herschel/Planck
• Configuration management and familiarisation with
  a client/server architecture as opposed to the
  centralised implementation of previous MCS
  systems at Esoc

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The future of R(ME)MCS

• Porting to Scos-2000 evolution
• Possibility to migrate to cheaper hardware, e.g.
  running under Linux on PCs
• Extensions for lights-off operations
• Drastically reduce the costs during the long
  cruise phases for routine operations that at the
  moment are done by human operators

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Conclusions

• The Rosetta and Mars Express missions, although
  very different from each other, could be managed
  with a single mission control system at ESOC
• Having a single software product for both
  missions reduces the costs and the complexity of
  its maintenance and functional extension
• It is possible to share Spacecraft Controllers
  and software support staff between the two
  missions with very limited additional training