A fractionated spacecraft is a
satellite architecture where the functional capabilities of a conventional monolithic spacecraft are distributed across multiple
modules which interact through
wireless links. Unlike other aggregations of
spacecraft, such as
constellations and
clusters, the modules of a fractionated spacecraft are largely
heterogeneous and perform distinct functions corresponding, for instance, to the various
subsystem elements of a traditional satellite.
History
The term "fractionated spacecraft" appears to have been coined by Owen Brown and
Paul Eremenko in a series of 2006 papers,[1][2][3]
which argue that a fractionated architecture offers more flexibility and robustness than traditional
satellite design during mission operations, and during the
design and
procurement.
The idea dates back to at least a 1984 article by P. Molette.[4]
Molette's, and later analyses by Rooney,[5]
concluded that the benefits of fractionated spacecraft were outweighed by their higher mass and cost.
By 2006, Brown and his collaborators[3][6]
claim that the option value of
flexibility, the
insurance value of improved robustness, and
mass production effects will exceed any penalties, and make an analogy with
distributedclusters of
personal computers (PCs) which are overtaking
supercomputers.[citation needed]
A 2006 study by the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology appears to have corroborated this latter view.[7]
Development
In 2007,
DARPA,
the Pentagon's advanced technology organization, issued an announcement[8] soliciting proposals for a program entitled System F6, which aims to prove "the feasibility and benefits" of a fractionated satellite architecture through a space demonstration. The program appears to emphasize
wireless networking as a critical technical enabler, along with
econometric modeling to assess[clarification needed] if and when the architecture is advantageous over conventional approaches [9]
DARPA called for
open-source development of the networking and
communications protocols and interfaces for the fractionated spacecraft modules. This unusual step was presumably in an effort to proliferate the concept and mirror in space the development of the terrestrial
Internet.
^Molette, P.; Cougnet, C.; Saint-Aubert, PH.; Young, R.W.; Helas, D. (1984). "Technical and Economical Comparison Between a Modular Geostationary Space Platform and a Cluster of Satellites". Acta Astronautica. 12 (11). Pergamon Press Ltd.: 771–784.
Bibcode:
1984AcAau..11..771M.
doi:
10.1016/0094-5765(84)90097-3.
^Mosleh, Mohsen; Dalili, Kia; Heydari, Babak (2014). "Optimal Modularity for Fractionated Spacecraft: The Case of System F6". Procedia Computer Science. elsevier. pp. 164–170.
doi:10.1016/j.procs.2014.03.021.