|
|
 |
|
 OOS > Workshop 2002 > General Information |
|
Background
On-orbit servicing of space assets has been discussed frequently for many years and has received much public attention as a result of the successful Hubble repair mission conducted by astronauts in 1993. To-date various concepts for on-orbit servicing of satellites (OOS) have been developed and investigated, mostly driven by the technological challenges involved. A major subset of those concepts describes unmanned satellite servicing missions using automation and robotics technologies.
However only few such endeavors show a clear commercial focus and no dedicated commercial business has yet got off the ground. Over the past 2 years, when the OOS discussion regained momentum, it became clear, that a structured approach to determine possible OOS markets and drivers was and still is not available. Many of the past activities were lacking focus on commercial factors, and the OOS discussion is still characterized by many uncertainties.
DLR together with the Canadian Space Agency CSA are aiming at a structured long-term approach of how to deal with OOS and at the creation of an "OOS community". The goal is to provide the space world high-quality information and insights to this new and innovative field of space activities.
As a first step DLR and the Canadian Space Agency CSA organized this 1 st bilateral workshop on "On-Orbit Servicing of Spacecraft (OOS)" (OOS 2002) from 24-26 November 2002. The workshop addressed all potential OOS stakeholders with the objective to elaborate future perspectives for OOS. It was anticipated that the achieved results and the synthesis of this workshop will highly be appreciated also by other space agencies and attract the attention of the space industry worldwide.
Besides various technological inputs from numerous projects DLR provided a high-level assessment of the market potential of OOS. A previous study conducted by JKIC (Germany) had shown the enormous complexity of OOS issues and the necessity for more in-depth analyses. To clearly identify the future potential of the subject leading technical experts and stakeholders from all other affected disciplines need to become involved.
Objective
The workshop objective was to "Define a Way Forward" for OOS and came under the umbrella of the "Memorandum of Understanding between DLR and CSA concerning CO-OPERATION IN THE FIELD OF SPACE ROBOTICS". OOS 2002 served as a forum to spread and exchange information and to discuss future Space A&R activities on bilateral German-Canadian as well as global level.
Participants obtained and elaborated an up-to-date picture of:
- Currently envisioned space missions and application scenarios where OOS technologies could play a major role
- Technology needs which can be derived from these application scenarios
- Prospective future logistics to provide OOS (on-orbit and on ground infrastructure elements, transportation, operations, etc.)
- Market & commercialization potential of future OOS scenarios
- The Current status of the Canadian and German research and development program in the field of space A&R
- New technology trends for space A&R.
OOS and the capability to master the relevant technologies were considered the pre-requisites for further successful development and utilization of space infrastructure elements in the earth orbits and the exploration of the bodies of the solar system. The mid and long-term goal is to explore these bodies - particularly those holding promise for traces of life - is expected to increase the need for advanced A&R technologies.
Scope
OOS 2002 was a "real workshop", i.e. rather informal and took place at a remotely located resort hotel in the greater Bonn/Cologne area.
OOS 2002 addressed all potential stakeholders as e.g.
- Agencies
- Satellite Manufacturers
- Launch Service Providers
- Insurance Companies
- Regulatory Bodies
- A&R Specialists and Industry
- Satellite Operators (public and private)
- Legal Experts
- Consulting Firms
- Academia and
- Dedicated Press
Focus was on the three major areas:
- Technical developments to provide the means for OOS of spacecraft
- Market and commercialization issues
- Future programmatic orientation of agencies and industries
Fees
The participation at OOS 2002 was free of charge! Refreshments, lunches and dinners were be offered by DLR.
Dress Code
The dress code for the workshop was "smart casual" (no ties, no shorts)
Language
The workshop language was English.
Program Structure
OOS 2002 was a two-day event that started with a "get together" on evening Sunday, 24 November 2002 and ended with a dinner on Tuesday, 26 November 2002. The program was had plenary sessions in the mornings
- "Setting the Scene" (Day 1) and
- "Stakeholder Perspectives: Issues, Drivers & Requirements" (Day 2)
and "Breakout Group (BGs) Sessions" in the afternoons, focusing on big picture, on market and commercial, on servicing technology and co-operative satellite design, on mission architecture issues, etc. the BG sessions approached OOS alongside the lines of
- "Validation & Justification" (Day 1) and
- "Defining a Way Forward & Streamlining" (Day 2)
And findings were presented at the end of each day as progress report. A "Facilitator" (Joerg Kreisel, JKIC, Germany) and "BG Captains" guided participants through OOS 2002. The first day provided an overview of OOS, including an update of potential future missions, end-to end scenarios, customer and user needs, technology trends, identified technology needs, and R&D topics. In addition, a status presentation of the current A&R-related activities from the Canadian and German (CSA and DLR) R&D programs were provided. On the second day presentations by potential stakeholders broadened the perspective of the participants followed by breakout group sessions progress report presentation with discussion and workshop sysnthesis. A video link was used to involve representatives from the Canadian Space Agency CSA in St-Hubert to enlarge the Canadian participation.
The Breakout Groups (BGs) were organized as follows:
BG 1: "The Whigs"
- Focus: Big Picture, Strategy, Policy, Legal, Debris, Finance, Actions
- Captain: Joerg Kreisel, JKIC, Germany
BG 2: "The Suits"
- Focus: Market, Drivers, Stakeholders, Public & Private Goods, Information Demand
- Captain: Andy Shaw, ESYS, UK
BG 3: "The Boffins"
- Focus: Servicing Technology, Co-Operative Design, A&R, Formation Flying, Logistics/Target, RVD, Technical Operation Scenario (evolutionary)
- Captain: Alex Ellery, Kingston University, UK
BG 4: "The Navvies"
- Focus: Mission Architecture, Logistics/Servicer, Servicer Design, Costs, TTC, Computation
- Captain: Marshall Kaplan, Strategic Insight, USA
|
|
|
|
