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System F6 constellation
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A team led by Orbital Sciences in Dulles, VA won a 1-year, $74.6 million Phase 2 contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop the final design of System F6 (Future Fast, Flexible, Fractionated, Free-Flying Spacecraft).

The Orbital team beat out teams led by Boeing, Lockheed Martin Space Systems, and Northrop Grumman Space and Mission Sytems. The 4 four teams won DARPA contracts [pdf] in 2008 to participate in Phase 1 of the System F6 development.

The objective of the System F6 program is to develop and demonstrate the basic building blocks of a new space architecture in which traditional large, multi-functional satellites are replaced by clusters of wirelessly interconnected space modules to form a “virtual” satellite…

Wirelessly Linked Modules

System F6 module concept
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Each of the System F6 modules performs a subset of the tasks performed by a large satellite and works together in a cluster to provide the same overall capability. By allowing the various functions of a spacecraft to be developed and launched separately, this type of “fractionated” system reduces overall program risk, provides budgetary and planning flexibility, speeds initial deployment, and offers greater survivability.

The new system is design to address recurring problems for the military space sector, including cost overruns, late deliveries, launch mishaps and on-orbit failures.

Current large military satellites are constrained due to their monolithic architecture. They can be launched only on a small number of large launch vehicles, cannot readily be upgraded and/or reconfigured with new hardware on-orbit, and are risk-intensive, since the launch and space environments can result in a total loss of investment with 1 mistake. The System F6 will partition the tasks performed by a large satellite (power, receivers, control modules, etc.) and assign each task to a dedicated micro-satellite.

Phase II

In the next phase of the System F6 program, Orbital will be responsible for the detailed design and ground testing of the new technologies, architectures and programmatic concepts required for the System F6. These include wireless data communications, cluster flight operations, distributed spacecraft computing systems, rapidly relocatable ground systems, and value-centric design methodologies. DARPA is hoping for a planned flight demonstration in 2013.

A series of on-orbit tests will demonstrate: the cluster reconfiguration to accommodate the insertion of new spacecraft modules, the addition of new components as network-accessible resources, rapid defensive cluster scatter and re-gather maneuvers, and the transfer of mission-critical processes throughout the cluster and to terrestrial network nodes. The program also has an explicit objective to supply infrastructure capabilities to 1 or more independent payload spacecraft supplied by a mission partner.

Orbital’s partners include IBM, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Georgia Institute of Technology, SpaceDev, and Aurora Flight Sciences. Phase 2 will include development of the detailed design of the spacecraft modules, ground elements and launch options; a hardware-in-the-loop test-bed ground demonstration with new technology prototypes; and release of an F6 Developer’s Kit, which will allow third-parties to design compatible fractionated modules.

System F6 incorporates most key technology development in an “open source” format, a new and radical concept in spacecraft systems. All software source code, interfaces, standards and operating systems will be available to everyone, including the public. This will allow any interested 3rd party to develop modules compatible with the existing spacecraft network.

Contracts and Key Events

Dec 4/09: The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) awarded a contract to a team led by Orbital Sciences for Phase 2 of the System F6 (Future, Fast, Flexible, Fractionated, Free-Flying Spacecraft) fractionated spacecraft demonstrator program. The contract, valued at $74.6 million, is for 1-year effort under which the Orbital Sciences team will develop a detailed system design, complete the majority of software development, deliver additional iterations of the hardware-in-the-loop testbed to include breadboard implementation of critical hardware, and conclude with a critical design review.

Feb 26/08: The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) awarded 4 contracts for Phase 1 of the System F6 (Future, Fast, Flexible, Fractionated, Free-Flying Spacecraft) fractionated spacecraft demonstrator program. Contracts are awarded to:

• Boeing in Huntington Beach, CA, teamed with L3 Communications, Millennium Space Systems, Octant Technologies, and Science Applications International Corp. ($12.9 million);
• Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Palo Alto, CA teamed with Aurora Flight Sciences, Colbaugh & Heinsheimer Consulting, Vanderbilt University, and Lockheed Martin Integrated and Global Systems ($5.8 million);
• Northrop Grumman Space & Mission Systems in Redondo Beach, CA teamed with Alliant Tech Systems, Aurora Flight Sciences, Juniper Networks, L3 Communications, BAE Systems, Cornell University, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Southern California, and University of Virginia ($6.2 million); and
• Orbital Sciences in Dulles, VA, teamed with IBM, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Georgia Institute of Technology, SpaceDev, and Aurora Flight Sciences ($13.6 million).

Additional Readings

• DARPA – System F6 Website

• Orbital Sciences – Orbital Awarded Phase 2 Contract for “System F6” Satellite Program By DARPA

• DARPA (Dec 4/09) – DARPA Awards Contract for Detailed Design of Fractionated Spacecraft Program [pdf]

• DARPA (Sept 09) – Value-Centric Design Methodologies for Fractionated Spacecraft: Progress Summary from Phase 1 of the DARPA System F6 Program [pdf]

• DARPA (Sept 08) – Application of Value-Centric Design to Space Architectures: The Case of Fractionated Spacecraft [pdf]
• DARPA (Feb 26/08) – DARPA Awards Contracts for Fractionated Spacecraft Program [pdf]

• DARPA (Sept 06) – The Value Proposition for Fractionated Space Architectures [pdf]