Streamlining Satellite Development, Testing, and Operations using a COTS Command and Telemetry Package

This paper discusses how modern, commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) command and telemetry packages and data analysis tools can reduce cost and tighten schedules. By including the ground station from the start of the program life cycle, organizations can improve efficiency through the parallelization of activities, reuse of program resources, improvement of processes, and elimination of development tasks. The benefits of this approach are substantial for a single program. However, corporations can realize even greater productivity when subsequent programs build upon the strong foundation created by their predecessors. The methods introduced in this paper are brought to life through the example of the development of the ORBCOMM constellation of small communication satellites.