THE BIG NEWS (January 2013)
The latest version of CPAW has added planning for "Pushbroom" satellites to existing capabilities for fully agile and beam selection types of imaging satellites. With the addition of this new capability, CPAW can now plan any type of optical or RADAR imaging satellite with a single system.
Figure 1: CPAW plans a complex maneuver for an agile high resolution optical satellite
As Synthetic Aperture RADAR (SAR) systems have become more popular, Orbit Logic added beam selection modeling into CPAW. For these systems, there are multiple fixed sensors onboard the satellite aimed in different directions and CPAW uses its algorithms to determine the best sensor to use for each imagery collection opportunity.
Figure 2: CPAW selects the beam to collect the highest value area for a SAR satellite
Pushbroom satellites provide an imaging solution that is lower cost and simpler technology than fully agile imagery spacecraft. Because of these advantages, Pushbroom satellites are the most prevalent satellite imaging resource today. Planning for Pushbroom imaging satellites is like a combination of agile and beam selection planning. Pushbroom satellites have limited agility allowing them to roll from side to side (i.e., they have agility about the velocity vector), but not forward and back (i.e. no agility in the direction of the velocity vector). It's almost like a Pushbroom satellite is a fixed beam satellite that slews its beam into its fixed positions between imagery collection. CPAW accounts for this limited agility by modeling movement between imagery collection, but limits the flexibility to modify start and stop times and angles while calculating imagery collection.
Figure 3: CPAW plans the slew and simple imagery collection for a low resolution Pushbroom satellite
Whether the satellite does fully agile optical imaging, fixed beam SAR sensing, or Pushbroom scanning, Orbit Logic's CPAW software is basically a spacecraft simulator coupled with scheduling algorithms that generates high fidelity imagery collection plans for use in operations, analysis, or imagery ordering. CPAW covers everything from contact scheduling and recorder management to power and antenna modeling while accounting for clouds, terrain, timing constraints, and sensor capabilities. Planning can be completely manual, fully automated, or anywhere in between to plan for anything from a single image on a single satellite to massive order decks on a constellation of a variety of optical and SAR satellites.
THE BIG ADVANTAGE
Orbit Logic's CPAW software is now the only way that imagery collection for fully agile, fixed beam, or Pushbroom satellites can be planned in a single system. This multi-use capability is especially useful in a fleet with a variety of assets.The synergy and efficiency of using a single planning system instead of separate, stovepipe systems for each type of satellite can bring additional value to important resources. The addition of satellites into a CPAW configuration is a quick and easy process that does not require any software development. The US Army Remote Ground Terminals (RGT) will be using CPAW to plan imagery collection for both SAR and agile satellites. The Australian Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) uses CPAW for analysis on a constellation of cubesats and nanosats with varying levels of agility (Pushbroom, fixed beam, and agile).