Autonomous Flight Termination & Satellite Based Telemetry System for Launch Vehicles

Space Based Autonomous Flight Termination and Telemetry System (SBAFTTS) for launch vehicles will develop algorithms and hardware needed to implement a new tracking/telemetry paradigm that enables lower cost and more responsive launches. Current space launch operations require an extensive network of ground-based tracking and communications sites that provide support for a limited geographic area. These sites require long turnaround times and are costly to maintain due to obsolete equipment, staffing cost and remote locations. By using space-based assets for tracking and communications along with autonomous intelligent software flight termination capabilities, future ranges will have lower cost, reduced complexity and faster turnaround time while continuing to provide unsurpassed safety. This proposed system will provide tracking data to the onboard Autonomous Flight Termination System (AFTS) part of this proposed system and to the ground over satellite without deploying down range assets. An optional Range Safety tracking and termination command link to/from the range launch head and/or over satellite will be provided to add an extra margin of safety during the initial phase of launch, the most critical. The AFTS can have the primary flight termination responsibility or take over if either the Range Safety communications is lost or when out of range.