Satellite Tool Kit - Mission Utility and Systems Engineering Module (STK/MUSE)

Microcosm and Analytical Graphics propose to extend the existig commercial Satellite Tool Kit (STK) mission analysis system to incorporate sensor simulation and mission utility. The result will be the first general purpose, commercially available, space mission utility simulator. It will run on available workstations and will allow the user to quantify mission performance as a function of system design, scenarios, and environmental parameters. The user will be able to rapidly estimate under what conditions and how well overall mission objectives can be met or whether a less complex and expensive design could the job as well. It will support multiple missions without additional coding. Customized analysis needs can be met by "plug-in" user-developed modules, connection with existing simulations through the standard interface or via data files generated by an external program. Phase I will provide detailed system definition and requirements and will include rapid- prototyping of a module to evaluation two mission utility figures of merit -- response time (applied to the FAS mission) and stationkeeping accuracy (applied to autonomous orbit maintenance). This will allow the government to evaluate specific features and requirements to be incorporated in the Phase II development.