Space Mission Operations

This course introduces the space mission development from the space operators point-of-view. Often ignored until later in the development cycle, this mission operator perspective allows the development of a cost effective mission across all mission elements. Lessons explore the challenge of designing and implementing space mission operations in a practical, cost-effective way in the real world. Taking a functional approach, the course provides an in-depth view of the entirety of space mission operations, including the concept of operations and all functions that are performed in support of a space mission. Discussions focus on initial requirements definition, operations concept development, functional allocation among spacecraft, payload, ground system and operators. Students get extensive hands-on experience with a variety of mission operations modelling tools to understand physical constraints and appreciate the impact of programmatic trade-offs. Case studies of ongoing NASA, DoD and commercial missions are examined.

Course Objectives

At the end of this course the student should be able to:

• Define and explain the critical activities of space mission operations
• Develop a mission concept of operations (ConOps) and be able to critically analyse one of these key documents
• Describe the elements that contribute to mission operations complexity and perform trade-off analyses to reduce that complexity
• Apply principles of orbital mechanics to plan and implement key operations activities
• Describe and analyze key elements of mission ground systems including communication link budgets
• Compare and contrast operations concepts for military, civil, scientific and human space missions
• Develop the planning, execution and support requirements for real-time space mission operations

Course Topics

• Mission Operations Overview
• Operations Planning
• Tracking and Navigation
• Mission Data Receipt and Delivery
• Spacecraft Support and Analysis
• Flight Control and Training

Unique Features of Online Course

• 18 guided lectures – presented by several of TSTI’s award winning instructors; the equivalent of a semester-long course
• Continuous feedback on your progress through lesson review questions and quizzes
• Explore each topic in-depth via exercises and case studies using missions operations modelling tools to apply what you’ve learned each step of the way
• 100% self-paced – you have up to 6 months to complete the course on your own time when it is convenient