Autonomous Control and Data Acquisition for Advanced Satellite Systems

Abstract

Autonomous operation is rapidly becoming a requirement for most new spacecraft systems. An autonomous spacecraft greatly simplifies the ground station processing and monitoring requirements, freeing ground station capabilities for other important tasks. The T2C2 (Telemetry, Timing, Command and Control) System has been conceived and architected to facilitate spacecraft autonomy. The T2C2 architecture is ideally suited for onboard closed-loop control, redundancy management, housekeeping and other autonomous functions. This paper provides an overview of the T2C2 architecture and its applications in the design and implementation of an autonomous spacecraft.