Satellite Design Aspects Relevant to Mission Operations

Any spacecraft design decision taken by a manufacturer drives subsequent ground segment design as well as operational concepts. As a result operating a certain satellite may be more complex or simple compared to others, relating directly to risk and cost of mission operations. The German Space Operations Center (GSOC) operates missions of different types since several decades. For each new mission spacecraft design is to be agreed with the satellite manufacturer. Based on a subset of our LEO and GEO missions operational key design aspects are identified for selected tasks, compared and related from an operational point of view. We start with the commanding concept of the different satellites. Afterwards onboard TM and payload data storage is discussed. Comparison of TC and TM concepts of different missions is supplemented by outlining example types and behavior of satellite/subsystem modes together with the specific operational impact. Finally the different concepts of satellite activation during LEOP and commissioning are compared.