A Flexible Fault Management Architecture for Cluster Flight

Emergent Space Technologies proposes to develop a flexible, service-oriented Fault Management (FM) architecture for cluster fight missions. This FM architecture will include algorithms to be run on each cluster module for fault detection, isolation, and recovery, software to be used at a ground station to direct recovery actions, and protocols for communication of fault information between cluster modules and between modules and the ground station. Individual components of the architecture will be designed so that they do not work together directly, but interact through predetermined interfaces. This will allow for flexibility, scalability and robustness. During Phase 1 of the proposed research, the focus of the research will be a fault detection and isolation system to be incorporated into the FM architecture.