Automation of Satellite On-orbit Checkout and Calibration Process

ABSTRACT: Today"s Air Force satellites require a time intensive on-orbit checkout process before placing the satellite into operation. The length of time depends on the specific payload on the satellite, but can last from weeks to months. In particular, the calibration of imaging sensor payloads can be very time consuming and require complex methodologies to complete. The Air Force desires a system to perform autonomous sensor calibration and satellite bus checkout in much less time than the current manual process. Cybernet proposes to leverage our past experience in both software and hardware automation, machine learning, and satellite systems to develop the automated satellite checkout process. BENEFIT: The proposed technology will meet the Air Force"s need to increase the speed at which satellite calibration and checkout can be performed. This capability will also be of interest to other agencies, such as NASA. The overall technology directly supports Cybernet"s automation business area and will be leveraged to enhance products and services for our current customer base.