Current Area of Study

MATE-CON
MATE-CON is a process for understanding both the possibilities and the difficulties when looking for solutions to complex roblems. Its intent is to allow informed upfront decisions and planning, so that the detailed design process which follows is aimed at the right solution, and is forewarned of potential problems and forearmed to seize potential opportunities. The MATE-CON process is intended to be used in the early stages of product development.

On-Orbit Servicing
<Insert Short Description>

System Emergence
<Insert Short Description>

 

Past Research Projects

X-TOS:
The X-TOS project, originally a graduate space systems design exercise at MIT, designed a mission for collecting information about the Earth’s ionosphere necessary for the updating of the AFRL atmospheric drag model. The project was motivated by the poor quality of current atmospheric drag models when used for predictions of re-entry time and location for uncontrolled bodies such as spent satellites.

C-TOS:
<Insert Short Description>

B-TOS:
The B-TOS study was the first carried out using formal multi-attribute utility methods. The user needs involved four different measurements. The system architecture included a swarm of small “daughter” vehicles surrounding a central “mother” vehicle. Despite this complexity, the analyses ultimately revealed a simple dominant trade, between the number of daughter vehicles and the accuracy of one of the desired measurements.

A-TOS:
The A-TOS (Terrestrial observer swarm A) study was a proposed swarm of identical small satellites used to collect ionospheric data. The system was expected to collect three distinct types of data found in different regions of the ionosphere. The A-TOS study was carried out using a prototype version of the current process. It provided a first experience in the emergent lessons possible with trade space exploration.

Space Tug:
<Insert Short Description>

Small Diameter Bomb:
<Insert Short Description>

Space-Based Radar:
<Insert Short Description>