Satellite constellation mission analysis and design

The considerable surge in satellite constellations has brought to the fore the imperative need for an efficient constellation design and management plan. To address this emerging need, GMV has studied and tested algorithms for the analysis of the key phases in constellation development. These algorithms provide complete analysis capabilities and outline optimal strategies to deal with the following issues of the constellation life cycle: Constellation orbital design Constellation performance evaluation Launch strategy and constellation set-up Constellation replacement and spare strategy Constellation long-term evolution and end-of-life policy. This paper presents a comprehensive overview of the algorithms developed to plan and handle a generic constellation. The main effort has been devoted to define a general approach to the problem, so as to allow the characterization of a wide range of possible mission requirements and constraints. A representative Earth observation constellation for fire detection and monitoring (FUEGO) has been considered to assess the effectiveness and the commercial viability of die algorithms and the strategies implemented.