What is it about?
This paper shows how fractionated space systems can be beneficial in some cases to reduce problem complexity. In particular, their physical architecture enables decoupling conflicting requirements and isolate requirement change propagation during system development.
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Why is it important?
The development complexity of multi-payload satellites is often driven by conflicting requirements, i.e. those that are difficult to fulfill simultaneously. In some cases, Fractionated Space Systems can mitigate such conflicts, while providing the required performance thanks to the physical decoupling of their components (fractions). In addition, such decoupling also provides benefits in isolating the propagating effects of requirement changes, which occur more often than desired during system development.
Perspectives
The value of fractionated spacecraft is usually assessed with regards to its performance in uncertain futures, i.e. how adaptable they can be. However, their physical architecture (free flying components) may also provide benefits during system development. In particular, we show that such architecture enables (1) decoupling conflicting requirements, thus reducing the complexity of the system to be developed, and (2) isolates requirement change propagation, thus palliating the effects of requirement uncertainty during system development.
Dr Alejandro Salado
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Fractionated Space Systems: Decoupling Conflicting Requirements and Isolating Requirement Change Propagation, September 2013, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA),
DOI: 10.2514/6.2013-5416.
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