Payload state of health monitoring design for next generation satellite constellations

The authors have developed a Payload State of Health (PSOH) application that monitors the State of Health (SOH) of a non-homogeneous set of payloads in a satellite constellation. This application is part of a satellite ground station that processes sensor data from payloads and monitors the SOH of the ground station itself. The first payload of the constellation was launched in 2001. The PSOH application was used successfully for Early Orbit Turn-on (EOT) testing, and it is currently processing data autonomously. The PSOH application was developed with three types of users in mind. It accommodates the needs of payload designers who predominately use it during EOT. It uses a highly intuitive graphical Human Computer Interface (HCI) that allows a non-expert ground station operator to monitor all payloads of the constellation with a minimal chance of human error. It generates messages that provide a persistent record of any anomalies for use by the sensor data analyst. This paper shows how early development of the ground station PSOH application can benefit the three main users the sensor designer, the operator, and the data analyst.