EOS AM-l AND EO-1 SUPPORT USING FreeFlyer™ and AutoCon™

Spacecraft missions are seeking alternative and innovative ways to rapidly reduce mission costs. Automating maneuver planning processes plays a significant role in achieving that goal. FreeFlyer™ and AutoCon™, developed by AI Solutions, are tools being used by current National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) missions to efficiently perform flight dynamics processes, while reducing costs. The Earth Observing System (EOS) AM-l spacecraft and Landsat-7 spacecraft are using FreeFlyer™, while the Earth Orbiter 1 (EO-1) is using AutoCon™, a precursor to FreeFlyer™, for orbital analysis, maneuver planning and product generation. EOS AM-l will perform frequent ground track maintenance maneuvers to maintain orbital constraints. Additional orbital and operational constraints will be taken into account while planning these maneuvers. FreeFlyer™ uses a robust natural scripting language to model mission environments while performing maneuver planning Advanced targeting capabilities and fuzzy logic are incorporated into FreeFlyer™ to resolve and achieve complex mission constraints. EO-1 will be using AutoCon1™ both on ground and on board. A unique targeting algorithm incorporated into AutoCon M, developed by Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), will plan maneuvers for formation flying with Landsat7. A sequential progression towards autonomous maneuver planning, including formation flying using AutoCon™, will be demonstrated with the EO-1 mission.