Low Cost, Tailor able Avionics for Rapid Response Satellites

Responsive Space goals include the ability to design, fabricate, and launch a small tactical satellite in 7 days. One required enabling technology is a framework with which to define and assemble standard components from mission requirements. The focus of this research effort is the definition of a "Device Object Module" standard. This "DOM" contains all information necessary to support analysis within the various systems engineering disciplines (thermal, structural, power, etc.). It also contains characteristics of the component to allow configuration to mission requirements and a behavioral model to support simulation activities. Packaging modular components in this fashion naturally facilitates the implementation of a Knowledge-Based Satellite Engineering Design Tool, allowing a satellite system engineer to interactively configure a satellite to requirements while ensuring system integrity in parallel. As the tools are applied to an increasing number and variety of missions, the accumulated "mission knowledge" can be used to gradually diminish the role of systems engineering in the design loop. Ideally, a mission could ultimately be configured to tactical requirements in a period of days.