Orion GN&C Architecture for Increased Spacecraft Automation and Autonomy Capabilities

The Orion GN&C data-driven flight software architecture for automated sequencing and fault recovery

“…As a result, automated sequencing capability is distributed to the GN&C subsystem as well. This section presents the GN&C architecture in place to permit automated sequencing at the subsystem level and fulfill the vehicle level requirements for Orion automation [1]. The following subsections describe the GN&C flight software (FSW) architecture and provide the necessary context to understand how the GN&C subsystem uses data-driven parameters to perform the required automation, which is detailed in later sections.…”

“…This mechanism is used as a gate to provide control over automated functionality of the vehicle. Therefore, ATPs are often desired prior to the start of critical mission events [1], [2]. This type of operator interaction is also implemented using a data-driven approach to allow the required level of mission flexibility.…”

“…This has been accomplished by designing the Orion vehicle to include capabilities to automatically make hardware and software reconfigurations according to predefined sequences resident onboard the spacecraft. The design requirements for automated functionality, which represent a departure from the limited automation in the software on-board the Space Shuttle, are intended to reduce the burden of manual configuration on the crew [1]. Astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle are required to manually configure spacecraft hardware and software via countless command for events during the course of a mission.…”

“…This paper represents aspects of the Orion design as baselined at the Preliminary Design Review (PDR) in the summer of 2009. The Orion GN&C automation design has a history of development which includes lessons learned from the Space Shuttle operations, Orbital Express automation design [5], and many years of collaboration among the principal investigators [1], [2], [7] and others. This design will continue to mature and undergo development as the Orion Project proceeds towards the Critical Design Review (CDR).…”

A pattern system for tracing architectural concerns

“…The CEV is designed to coordinate with transfer stages, landing vehicles, and surface exploration systems in order to support manned voyages to the Moon and beyond. Requirements, architectural decisions, and architectural models of CEV were obtained from publicly available documentation manuals [20], [37]. Throughout this paper we describe all of the patterns with respect to the following architectural decision to use semantic based scheduling with task sequencing in the CEV System.…”