Dichotomous spacecraft: Simplified fractionation

Alexander Finch, Purdue University

Abstract

In this thesis, the concept of fractionated satellites is discussed and qualitatively critiqued. As a result of excessive mass overheads, an unjustified economic case, poor technical readiness and high operational complexity, it is considered immature for immediate commercial purposes. A simplified implementation of satellite fractionation is proposed in which satellites are split into bus and orbit-replaceable payload modules only, mirroring existing design paradigms. This arrangement, termed “Dichotomous Spacecraft”, benefits from already-demonstrated technical prerequisites, simpler operation and easier construction that equivalent fractionated satellites. Compared with existing monolithic spacecraft, added flexibility and scalability make the required mass overheads more acceptable in some situations with higher uncertainty. Dichotomous architectures are assessed for their technical readiness and are found to be capable of near-immediate deployment. An economic analysis is then performed using Monte-Carlo scenario-based modeling to assess the performance of dichotomous architectures against a monolithic spacecraft benchmark. The advantage of flexibility is assessed in this by including a number of uncertain parameters that emulate the unpredictable real-world behavior. A GEO communications mission is used as an initial case study. Dichotomous spacecraft are found to be better-performing in terms of ability to meet demand but are more expensive than their monolithic equivalents. Various sensitivity studies are done but no factors are found that strongly influence architecture preference.

Degree

M.S.E.

Advisors

DeLaurentis, Purdue University.

Subject Area

Aerospace engineering

COinS