Distributed systems applied to a space observatory with a network of operations centers

Paper number

IAC-06-A3.P.04

Author

Mr. Juan Carlos Vallejo, GMV S.A., Spain

Coauthor

Mr. Rafael Vazquez, GMV S.A., Spain

Year

2006

Abstract

As the complexity of scientific missions increase, the number of involved organizations and countries increase as well. These missions are based on a continuous and interlaced flow of data among several centers and institutions. But up to now, space observatory class missions have been based in single instances of the Mission Operations Centers (MOC) and Science Operations Centers (SOC). The only MOC is mainly in charge of the s/c control operations and the only SOC mainly in charge of supporting the scientific instrument (and perhaps data) operations. Past experience with highly distributed missions such as ESA XMM-Newton have allowed us starting studies on more complex baselines. Our main goal is to establish the basis for multinational space observatory projects, with several interlaced MOCs and SOCs working together.
The distributed operations concept was raised in the frame of the WSO/UV observatory proposal. It is quite attractive since it allows the s/c to be fully operated like a ground observatory. A network of complementary MOCs and SOCs, with associated facilities and services distributed among them, can optimize resources and, which is more important, allow to a wider community to gain local expertise in, and provide support to, the platform, the payload and the data.
From technical point of view, our solution fulfils the requirements with reduced costs, by using existing versatile Satellite Control Centers based in distributed architectures (such as GMV Hifly products based in the ESA SCOS-2000 kernel), installed along the network of MOCs and SOCs. By extending the concept of SCOS-2000 operational families, several centers can be run in parallel. By extending distributed networks paradigms such as object model architectures, the centers themselves become objects able to manage services in a user transparent way. From operational point of view, some critical functions for the mission will have to be associated with the so-called primaries MOC and SOC, acting as leaders for the mission and responsible for the full operations and scientific coherence of the mission. Regarding the upstream data flow, preplanned routinary operations merged into one single schedule template will meet the coherence specifications. Fewer constraints are found in the dissemination of the downstream data flow, and this scenario can be successfully managed using existing paradigms such as the grid computing for the processing of the data, or the virtual organizations for their exploitation.

Abstract document

IAC-06-A3.P.04.pdf

Manuscript document

IAC-06-A3.P.04.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).

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