ASTOS Market-Oriented Activities

 
In the past ASTOS has been used primarily for trajectory optimization and basic mission analysis tasks. Due to its suitability for most space flight missions, its high flexibility in the scenario definition and its wide worldwide dissemination, it is self-evident that an extension to a comprehensive mission analysis tool with system concept analysis capability will be an important market-oriented activity.

Objectives
The main objective of the project was to further develop the ASTOS software into an industrialized product which shall address an enlarged market for mission and system concept analysis and which shall have the capability of a stronger market penetration in near-term.

Achievements and status
Within the project the ASTOS software was extended towards a multi-purpose analysis software. The new functionalities cover many aspects from the mission performance and from the system concept analysis domains (thermal, data and power aspects) including the automatic creation of a DOPS compatible report. Further, its user-friendliness was enhanced e.g. by means of newly introduced wizards that help the user to setup a scenario easily. Interplanetary trajectories with multiple swing-bys can now by modelled, whereas ASTOS can create automatic reports including Pork-Chop plots that show the fuel consumption for a range of start and arrival dates.

Benefits
The envisaged technical objectives of the project have been achieved. The extended mission analysis capability and the new models for system concept analysis provide a robust functionality for engineering work in Phase 0/A and Phase B.

Next steps
Further development of ASTOS in the field of flexible and multi-body dynamics, utilization of ASTOS for end-to-end simulators and SCOE applications for AOCS and subsystems.