A Satellite Pre-Pass Organization Tool (SPOT)

In the domain of satellite operations many systems must operate together to allow a control center to communicate with a satellite. A single malfunction or degradation can prevent the communication from occurring, leading to missed opportunities for contact. With low earth orbit satellites such at SBIRS-Low--managing the interaction of support systems is even more difficult. Such a constellation has the potential to receive requests for service at any time and must respond within tight timelines by utilizing worldwide resources to establish communication between any terrestrial station and any target satellite in the constellation. Maintaining the entire space-ground big picture for this dynamic environment is challenging. To address this problem, SYTRONICS and our subcontractor, Ball, propose to develop a proof-of-concept intelligent agent support system that will aid SBIRS-Low crews to manage pre-pass contact operations. In addition to operational support, our system will address the requirements inherent with training to use such an agent-assisted system by developing an Instructor Operator Station (IOS) that allows a single operator to train the contact support team. The IOS will serve a dual purpose as a training device and also be transferable as a supervisor system that manages pre-pass operations on the operations floor.