Problem Formulation for Optimal Array Modeling and Planning

Abstract- To support NASA’s vision to increase the DSN communications capability by at least 100 times the current capability of the 70m antennas, the option of large arrays of thousands of 12m antennas is being studied at JPL, and an operational prototype is planned for in the 2010 timeframe. The flexibility of dynamically subdividing a large antenna array into smaller array clusters of various sizes to support different concurrent missions, and the ability to add or remove antenna elements from an array cluster without interrupting the signal tracking enable new network operation concepts. Yet it poses unique challenges to the modeling and planning of the large array. Current DSN antennas planning and scheduling is done based on network support requests from individual missions that perform their own communication link analysis and ground-in-view perio