Not your usual To Do list, GMV provided its Mission Planning & Scheduling tool, FlexPlan, for the Mission Planning & Scheduling system for Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), which is designed to conduct investigations that will prepare for and support future human exploration of the Moon. GMV recently congratulated NASA on its first successful mission to the moon in over a decade through the successful launch and lunar orbit insertion of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO).
GMV’s FlexPlan uses a Soft Algorithm Generator that 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 system. With FlexPlan installed, NASA is able to plan, schedule and manage all phases of the lunar mission. The spacecraft command loads, 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.
LRO is the first mission in NASA’s Exploration Initiative and the first NASA mission to the moon since Lunar Prospector launched in 1998. LRO was launched June 18 on an Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) from Cape Canaveral. The satellite is designed to orbit the moon and collect scientific data for one year. The lunar orbiter will study the global topography of the lunar surface, document illumination conditions and resources and map the flux of neutrons from the lunar surface to determine evidence of water ice. In addition, it will 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. The orbiter then will undergo end-of-life operations and will impact the lunar surface signaling the end of the mission.
