A system-based design methodology and architecture for highly adaptive small satellites

System-level conception, design and analysis are fundamental to ensuring the reliability and operability of complex systems. The ever-expanding and demanding global space activity requires, amongst other performance metrics, multifunctional, reconfigurable and adaptive system architectures. Consequently, there is need for developing a systems engineering tool/platform for assessing multipurpose space applications and decommissioned satellite systems reapplication. This paper presents a system-based design methodology and architecture for highly adaptive small satellites (HASSs). The developed HASS methodology beacons on the basic systems engineering design process and generalised information network analysis (GENA) model. The HASS methodology and architecture address the space mission and conceptual design objectives. The iterative process provides options for mission(s) definition and combinations and space system transformation. It also allows the designer to choose from available device technologies for specific and integrated applications with allowance for trade-offs and evaluation. Depending on the unique attributes of interest, the small satellite subsystem components can be selected for a specific mission. Furthermore, mission-defined quality of service metrics are assigned prior to the system trade space exploration. HASS-based multicriteria studies are then performed for qualifying the optimal system architectures. This adaptive space system-level platform allows the designer to optimize device technologies, systems and subsystems configurations and architectures in an integrated environment. The attendant benefits, are reduced design, launch and operations costs, reliability, adaptive remote monitoring and support for broadband and/or multimedia applications.