From the Editors
A satellite without a ground system is like a kite without a string. It may be an elegant, sophisticated, engineering marvel, but it simply won't do what it's designed to do.
Ground systems are perhaps difficult to envision because they encompass such a wide diversity of facilities, functions, and operators. There are the tracking stations, with their massive antennas and radomes, that track and communicate with satellites. There's the mission control center, with its banks of computer terminals and display screens, where mission managers plan constellation activities. There are the data processing and archive centers, with their extensive arrays of computer servers sifting and categorizing huge quantities of information. There are the software programs and interfaces that allow ground personnel to interact with the satellites and that render the satellite data meaningful. There are the telecom networks, switches, and routers that connect all the disparate elements. And there are the countless support functions and infrastructure that keep the command centers staffed and operational.
Aerospace has been involved in the design, acquisition, implementation, and evaluation of defense ground systems since the early days of the Air Force Satellite Control Network, originally established to support the Discoverer program. Since that time, control systems have evolved, and Aerospace expertise has kept pace with the changing developments. In recent years, for example, Aerospace helped NASA and NOAA model comprehensive enterprise-wide ground system architectures for their scientific and operational space missions. The Aerospace Concept Design Center has assembled a specialized subgroup focused on exploring ground system requirements and architectural trade-offs. A rapid prototyping capability allows Aerospace engineers to quickly simulate and evaluate new network components and data processing architectures. Particular depth in the area of information security has enabled Aerospace to evaluate proposals and techniques for safeguarding sensitive data shunting through dynamic networks. Aerospace also represents the interests of the national security space community in helping to develop specifications and standards for network-driven operations. For example, an Aerospace study of the potential benefits and pitfalls of using commercial software was instrumental in codifying the best practices for acquiring complex, software-intensive ground systems.
We hope this issue of Crosslink will provide a useful introduction to the art and science of ground systems acquisition while highlighting some of Aerospace's important contributions to the field.
