Technical Sessions: Track Descriptions
(En anglais seulement)

Following the daily Plenary, delegates can participate in any of the six concurrent sessions covering a specific area related to space operations. The Technical Program Committee received many excellent abstracts and was able to prepare for you an exceptional technical program based on the themes outlined below. Each oral presenter selected as part of the abstract submission process will make a 20-minute presentation followed by a 5-minute question and answer period.

1. Sharing the Resources: Building and Utilizing Partnerships

Track Chair: Geneviève Campan, CNES
Track Co-Chair: Eduardo Bergamini, INPE

Budgetary needs, and the movement toward multi-organization implementation of space missions, require organizations to explore implementation and operation efficiencies through sharing of resources between government, industry, and academia. Inter-organizational interoperability and cross-support is needed to realize the economies resulting from sharing large capital investments in mission support systems. In order to achieve this, standardization of services, protocols, and products are prerequisites.

Areas of interest include:

• Technical and resource aspects of cross-support interoperability
• Shared support to prepare and conduct operations
• Compatibility, standardization of facilities, data systems and enabling technologies
• Spacecraft on-board interfaces and local network services
• Navigation, data interchange and archive services
• International mission management challenges, such as trade regulatory aspects

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2. Building the Operational System: Engineering and Technology in the Multi-Mission/Multi-Organization Era

Track Chair: Joe Statman, NASA
Track Co-Chair: Tony Hillman, MDA

Design and system engineering in the new era focus upon integrated space-ground systems. The overall operational system, through its entire life cycle, needs to be considered in the design, ensuring that operationis a key requirement from the very outset of system development. More importance must be given to existing infrastructures and management of life-cycle costs and risks.

Areas of interest include:

• System automation and associated operations concepts
• Advanced networking architectures
• Multi-mission control system as a driver in operational system design
• Multi-mission system design precepts and experiences
• Enhanced operational effectiveness through improved human-machine interfaces
• Special needs for small and micro satellite systems and missions
• Emerging technologies applicable to multi-mission operational system design

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3. Sharing the Mission Experience: Applying Lessons Learned for Future Benefits

Track Chair: James Costrell, NASA
Track Co-Chair: Marcus Forbes, SED

Key lessons in mission development can be learned from individuals who manage the day-to-day operation of flight systems. Space Missions include the full scope such as for communications, science, earth observation, and ISS on-board system operation. Focus is placed on past experience, lessons learned, and solutions for the future.

Areas of interest include:

• Autonomous operations
• Efficient use of on-orbit resources
• New operations, such as small and micro satellites, formation flying and clusters
• Operational realities of multi-mission facilities
• On-orbit risk and experience management
• Adaptive system design and concurrent system evolution
• Sustaining engineering and maintenance in a multi-mission, multi-organization environment
• ISS on-board system operations and interplanetary missions

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4. Managing the Mission: Challenges for Managers in the Global Environment

Track Chair: Howard Nye, ESA
Track Co-Chair: Tim Walsh, NOAA

Operations management seeks to ensure that mission objectives are achieved to maximize the mission return, and minimize mission life-cycle costs. The emerging global and entrepreneurial nature of space operations requires examination of innovative approaches such as outsourcing, developing public-private partnerships, and commercializing space operations.

Areas of interest include:

• Management experience in blending commercial, academic and government space operations systems
• Management of multi-mission facilities in a multi-organization operation
• Non-government management of science operations for large programs
• Trends and best practices in cost-efficient space operations
• System and operation life-cycle costs and cost modeling
• Human resource management and development throughout the mission life-cycle
• Public and program cost benefits of inter-organization collaboration

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5. Broadening the Scope, Narrowing the Gap: Pushing the Mission, Operation, and Operator Envelope

Track Chair: Dave Wendling, Telesat
Track Co-Chair: Thomas Kuch, DLR

The trend toward multi-organization collaboration requires space organizations to re-define their missions and roles with respect to end users or clients. The scope of operations needs to be broadened given the emergence of commercial enterprise such as for communications and data network services. All space operators need to investigate new or improved ways of doing business and deliver services to the larger user community.

Areas of interest include:

• Experience of scientists, the value-added industry and users of operation services, including carriers
• Role of users as participants in mission operations
• Experience and needs of science missions and scientists as users
• Experience and needs of communication operators in serving their clients
• Experience and needs of industry service providers, including launch services
• Cooperative program lessons learned, challenges, benefits and recommendations
• Novel and untested system design, operation and service provision concepts