Orbview-1 Autonomous Mission Operations

The Orbview-1 spacecraft was launched in April, 1995. It is a small, low-orbiting satellite with two scientific payloads, the Optical Transient Detector (OTD) and the GPS Meteorological instrument (GPS-Met). The Orbview-1 mission was developed in alignment with NASA\u27s directive of cheaper, better, faster satellite programs. An important element in achieving these goals is the reduction in operations cost through spacecraft automation. A highly autonomous satellite minimizes the amount of human interaction required once the spacecraft is on-orbit. In alignment with this philosophy, the Orbview-1 Mission Operations have also been increasingly automated. This process has led to reduction of operating costs, scheduling errors and operational errors. It has also resulted in significant improvements in the rate and reliability of data delivery. This paper will provide descriptions of the Orbview-1 spacecraft and the Orbital Ground Segment which provides Command and Control capabilities for this satellite. It will discuss the progression of the automation of Orbview-1 Mission Operations from inception to the present and the specific improvements in operating costs, data collection and data quality realized from each step. This paper will also suggest additional changes which can be implemented to further automate Orbview-1 Mission Operations and which automation steps can be transferred to future satellite missions