Assessing the impacts of fractionation on pointing-intensive spacecraft

[摘要] (cont.) This research seeks to quantitatively assess the impacts of various fractionated spacecraft architecture strategies on the lifecycle cost, mass, propellant usage, and mission lifetime of pointing-intensive, remote sensing mission spacecraft. A dynamic lifecycle simulation and parametric model was used to assess the lifecycle cost impacts, while the mass, propellant usage, and mission lifetime impacts were assessed using a non-parametric, physics-based computer model. Results from the research demonstrate that fractionated spacecraft can be both more and less expensive than a comparable monolithic spacecraft performing the same space mission. Additionally, the results show that due to the ability of fractionated spacecraft to decouple subsystems and payloads that truly need precise pointing, the mass and propellant usage of the Payload Module can be appreciably less than that of a comparable monolithic spacecraft. Subsequently, fractionated spacecraft can attain longer mission lifetimes than a monolithic spacecraft, and in certain instances, do so with a lesser lifecycle cost than the monolith at its respective shorter mission lifetime.

[发布机构] Massachusetts Institute of Technology