System Engineering Challenges on the New Horizons Project
- Paper number
IAC-06-D1.5.03
- Author
Mr. David Y. Kusnierkiewicz, The John Hopkins University, United States
- Coauthor
Mr. James Stratton, The John Hopkins University, United States
- Coauthor
Mr. Steve Vernon, The John Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, United States
- Coauthor
Mr. Glen Fountain, The John Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, United States
- Coauthor
Mr. Chris Hersman, The John Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, United States
- Year
2006
- Abstract
The New Horizons spacecraft, now bound for Pluto and the Kuiper-Belt, was successfully launched near the opening of the primary launch window on January 19, 2006. The spacecraft was designed, built, and tested for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU/APL), and was launched on a 2-stage Lockheed-Martin Atlas V 551 with a STAR-48B third stage provided by the Boeing Corporation. After a flyby of Jupiter on February 28, 2007, the spacecraft closest approach to Pluto will occur on July 14, 2015. Mission operations will be conducted from the JHU/APL campus in Laurel, Maryland. Phase A of the project was formally started in January 2002, and the Preliminary Design Review was held in late October of 2002. JHU/APL has executed many programs with comparable Phase C/D durations (38 months), and New Horizons was no different from many other projects that involve numerous organizations that provide components and services. However, the New Horizons project did present a number of unique system engineering challenges. One of the unique aspects was that the third stage, provided by Boeing with heritage from their Delta II series of launch vehicles, was contracted to the JHU/APL, and was not procured by NASA Launch Services. The late selection of the launch vehicle drove a number of changes late in the program, and differences between launch processing of the two vehicles raised a number of technical issues, some of which were not fully resolved until days before launch. The use of a nuclear power source for the spacecraft had many implications for safety and the launch approval process. Resolving these issues required a great deal of analysis and testing that had not been planned for or scheduled. A number of special technical considerations also arose with the spacecraft and the third stage STAR 48B motor. Disruptions in the processing of the plutonium for the power source required adjustments late in the program to the planned operational scenarios to accommodate lower power output, and threatened to eliminate the capability to support the exploration of the Kuiper-Belt if the launch had been delayed to the back-up window in 2007. These changes rippled into the on-board autonomy/fault protection system, due to allowable spacecraft configurations. All of these, and other challenges were successfully addressed, enabling launch during the most-desired part of the launch window.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
IAC-06-D1.5.03.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).
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