MC-HAMMER: Mission Control Highly Autonomous Mission Manager for Event Response

NASA has shown that automated mission planning and scheduling can increase satellite flexibility and operational tempo, increase satellite utilization, decrease both uplink and downlink requirements, and decrease operational costs. However, significant work is still required to transition NASA's existing automated mission planning software to Air Force satellite operations. The Air Force is moving to standardize its satellite ground control systems based on the emerging Enterprise Ground System (EGS) architecture. While the EGS architecture diagram includes roles for mission planning, mission execution, and mission monitoring, the standard components to fill those roles have not yet been selected. Here, we propose to clarify the Air Force's needs for these automated components and to evaluate the ability of existing high-TRL NASA technology to fill those needs. In particular, we will evaluate JPL's TRL-9 CASPER/ASPEN planning and scheduling system, building on our prior experience with the HAMMER onboard satellite autonomous control system. The resulting MC-HAMMER proof of concept will show how automated ground-based mission planning can improve satellite efficiency, reduce human workload, and increase responsiveness and optempo.