Consolidated Space Operations Center

Abstract

Now in the planning stage by the Air Force Systems Command Space Division, the Consolidated Space Operations Center (CSOC) will be a secure, dedicated space control center that will provide the Air Force enhanced command and control capability in the late 1980's and 1990's. Tentatively to be constructed in Colorado Springs, Colorado for an initial operational capability date of mid-1986, the CSOC will include a Satellite Operations Center (SOC) and a Shuttle Operations and Planning Center (SOPC). The SOC, an integral part of the Air Force Satellite Control Facility (AFSCF) network and functionally identical to the Satellite Test Center (STC) in Sunnyvale, California, will perform its command and control functions with a modernized data system now under development at the STC, and will support its assigned AFSCF workload. Also, in the event of a catastrophic failure, the SOC will provide austere backup support for workloads normally assigned to the STC, and vice versa. Additional land is being acquired to accommodate the construction of facilities for major new space programs as required. The SOPC, functionally equivalent to portions of the NASA Johnson Space Center Space Shuttle Complex, will perform preflight, flight, and postflight operations necessary to satisfy DOD Space Shuttle vehicle payload mission objectives. The SOPC and the Johnson Space Center (JSC) will be interoperable so as to provide limited backup support for DOD or NASA Space Shuttle missions in the event of catastrophic or extended failure at either location. The development of the CSOC requires major architectural changes for both the AFSCF and NASA. These changes include an expansion of the current AFSCF wideband communications system; interfacing of the AFSCF and NASA communications networks; inclusion of a 32 megabit-per-second (or higher) telemetry processing capability for scientific experiments that will be flown during Shuttle sortie missions; and provision of systems to coordinate operations between Shuttle payload specialists and associated ground controllers.