International Participation in AOS Standards Development

Abstract

During the current decade, international cooperation in space projects has become more and more popular and this trend is increasing. Initially, this involved only single missions with agencies flying payloads on other agencies' spacecraft. Later, this trend continued with international ventures, involving different agencies. In the immediate future, even more challenging scenarios are foreseen. The best known example and prime driver for such sophisticated missions will be the Space Station Freedom and its participating partners' spacecraft. Some of the international missions (ESA missions) are described briefly in this paper, in order to set the scene for a better understanding of the complex needs for standards within advanced orbiting systems. These ventures call for efficient means for cooperation and interoperability. Part of these requirements can be met by following international standards for space communications and space data systems. The Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS) undertook the task of integrating the space data systems requirements and developing appropriate recommendations for data systems standards for these Advanced Orbiting Systems (AOS). All international partners in the Space Station Freedom Program participated in the definition, development, and review of the AOS recommendations. The need for better cooperation in space communications via data relay satellite prompted the formation of a three party international panel called the Space Network Interoperability Panel (SNIP). An important aspect is the need for verification and validation of the concept and of the detailed technical recommendations. For the immediate future, special compatibility campaigns, involving the international agencies are planned in order to ensure the smooth application and functioning of the AOS recommendations.