Rockville, Md. – GMV Space Systems, Inc., a satellite ground segment software company, announced today that its Mission Planning & Scheduling tool, FlexPlan, has been selected to provide the Mission Planning & Scheduling system for the first NASA Goddard mission to the Moon, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). LRO is scheduled to launch in late 2008. FlexPlan was selected for LRO after a thorough analysis of existing Mission Planning & Scheduling systems.
FlexPlan uses a Soft Algorithm Generator which allows the mission and flight rules to be implemented, changed and validated without recompiling. Because of this flexibility, FlexPlan can be used for any type of mission (Earth orbiting or interplanetary), and can be quickly configured, deployed and integrated into a mission’s ground segment. With FlexPlan installed, NASA will be able to plan, schedule and manage all phases of the lunar mission. The status and usage of the on-board instruments, power system and solid state recorder, as well as the target scheduling, data dumps, and flight dynamic events (such as eclipses, ground station acquisition and loss, and maneuvers) will all be coordinated and scheduled using FlexPlan. FlexPlan has been sold to missions operated by the European Space Agency (ESA), the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), and now NASA.
“This mission puts us in a new league and validates everything we’ve done internationally,” said Theresa Beech, Managing Director, Vice President of Business Development and Acting Officer of GMV Space Systems. “We are now the only satellite ground segment software company in the world to sell operational Mission Planning & Scheduling SW to control satellites operated by space agencies on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.”
LRO will be the first mission in NASA’s new Exploration Initiative and the first NASA mission to the moon since Lunar Prospector launched in 1998. LRO is scheduled to launch in late 2008 on an Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV). The satellite will orbit the moon and collect scientific data for a year. The lunar orbiter will study the global topography of the lunar surface, document illumination conditions and resources, map the flux of neutrons from the lunar surface to determine evidence of water ice, provide space radiation measurements for possible future human exploration, map the temperature of the entire lunar surface, observe the entire lunar surface in the far ultraviolet and investigate the effects of galactic cosmic rays on tissue-equivalent plastics.
After collecting measurements for one year, the mission may be extended for up to an additional four years depending on objectives during the extended mission phase. After extended mission phase, the orbiter will undergo end-of-life operations and will impact the lunar surface signaling the end of the mission.
About GMV Space Systems, Inc.:
GMV Space Systems Inc. is an American company which is a subsidiary of Group GMV S.A. It draws on technology and expertise developed over the last 20 years in GMV S.A., a sister company of the Group, to provide innovative, flight-proven, and customizable solutions to the American space sector. By taking advantage of these flight-proven solutions and expertise, GMV Space Systems is able to supply the US space sector with innovative, high technology, added-value solutions.
