A Multiple Satellite Real-Time Control Network

The Satellite Control Faciity (SCF) is composed of a central control station and a number of remote tracking stations, several of which contain dual station capability. The primary function of the SCF is to provide real-time communication and control for tests of space vehicles in a dense multiple satellite environment. This paper describes data flow within the SCF, the major functional subsystems involved, the resource scheduling and finally the manner in which the network is being controlled by a complex of computer generated real-time scheduling functions.