Mission Utility and Support Tools (MUST)

Access to spacecraft telemetry data and ancillary data, as well as their integration with other data and further processing can be cumbersome and difficult to achieve. Specific data formats, different data providers and access to networks, as well as the absence of relevant tools, are obstacles for efficient data processing.

MUST (Mission Utility and Support tools) is a system that provides high performance access to telemetry, telecommand history, events and ancillary mission data. A suite of MUST client applications allows fast data analysis, exportation, enhanced visualisation, alarming through SMS and remote monitoring via Web.

Currently, the following MUST clients are available or under development:

• GRAINS is a powerful data visualisation and performance analysis tool supporting the integration of telemetry with other data. It generates graphs of selected data and allows detailed analysis of the data through various functionalities and is available as Matlab and Java Application.
• A website displays telemetry and other mission relevant information for remote access outside the control rooms (Alphanumeric Displays, Spacecraft Events, Telecommand History, Mission Control System Event Logs).
• An alarms engine checks the incoming data and raises alarms via emails and SMS.
• DrMUST supports anomaly investigation by finding which parameters are correlated with a certain event (e.g. anomaly). It also features time series pattern matching to identify overlooked past anomalies.
• The virtual spacecraft application displays the status of the thermal subsystem superimposed on the 3D spacecraft model.
• Automated report generator
• Automated telemetry post-processor
• Generic Messaging System
• Event Reporting and Alarming System

Innovations and advantages:

The client applications provide the users with simple and intuitive means for fast and efficient spacecraft performance analysis and anomaly investigation. Data analysis, performance assessment and anomaly investigation processes therefore become more efficient. MUST facilitates collaborative discussions among (remotely distributed) teams; Reaction times to anomalies are shorter; MUST can also reduce the costs for on-call services for operations.

MUST can also help to reduce the efforts for on-call services. In case of an alarm, the engineer on-call can assess the status of the spacecraft using the MUST client applications from home, in order to decide, if an action in the control room is necessary.

Finally, MUST offers another, indirect, but generic advantage. The MUST repository together with the standardized interfaces (API) provide easy access to mission data. The APIs can be re-used for the development of new applications. Often the development of interfaces accounts for a considerable amount of time and effort in a software development project. MUST can reduce these efforts and therefore allow for a stronger concentration on the core functionalities of the new application.

Domain of application:

MUST supports 10 missions operated by the European Space Operations Center and three external missions with a growing set of client applications. MUST might also be used for applications with requirements similar to those of space operations.

• Computer Services
• Computer Software
• Monitoring equipment
• Industrial Equipment and Machinery
• Utilities and related firms