A New Approach in Spacecraft Monitoring for Efficient Use of the Deep Space Network

The Deep Space Network (DSN) is preparing to experiment with a new way of supporting highly autonomous missions. The spacecraft will use onboard intelligence to determine whether it is healthy and when ground contact is needed. It will transmit one of a very limited number of monitoring messages to the ground instead of full engineering telemetry of the spacecraft health. These messages will be monitored by a ground station. Based on the urgency of the message, the DSN will schedule an antenna to receive telemetry. Deep-space missions traditionally schedule ground antennas to receive engineering telemetry up to several times per week. This new approach can reduce the monitoring time to a few minutes per day and engineering telemetry to once every several weeks. This approach will be demonstrated on the flrst New Millennium Deep Space One (DS1) mission through the Beacon Monitor Experiment; it is being considered for use on upcoming missions to Europa and Pluto and possibly other missions as well. This article describes the experiment, end-to-end system design, operational scenarios, and cost beneflts of implementation options using difierent signaling schemes and ground antennas.