Multi-Mission Elements: Key Ground Systems Services for EUMETSAT Future Programmes

In Satellite and Space Systems, the “Multi-Mission” terminology has different meaning depending on the business case where it appears. It is however the marker of ambitious objectives of organisations aimed to capitalise on existing assets (e.g. functional implementation as well as human resources) and to follow a clear strategy driven by flexibility, commonality and cost-efficiency considerations (e.g. “doing more with less”). The innovative “Multi-Mission” approach fostered at EUMETSAT offered many advantages but also faced many challenges starting from its introduction into a 24/7 operational environment operating complex space systems, at the same time as addressing sustainability by promoting and base-lining re-usability and upgrade for fulfilling the needs of future programmes/missions. The rationales and drivers for selecting thoroughly the Multi-Mission Elements will be presented for potential benefits to other organisations/missions. This paper will examine the reality of the “Multi-Mission” experience since its introduction in EUMETSAT and elaborate on the pragmatic frameworks (integrative architecture and design, supporting plans and processes, team organisation, dedicated lifecycles... ) put in place in order to implement the Multi-Mission strategy and its future evolutions. EUMETSAT has established and is maintaining a baseline of Multi-Mission Elements (MMEs) which are gathered in 4 functional groups: • MME Dissemination for dissemination of data to end users and ingestion of data from external parties; • MME Data Centre & Archiving for long term archiving and retrieval of mission data and user support services, including service registration; • MME System Monitoring for centralised monitoring capabilities for the ground segments, end-to-end production, service status, hardware, remote spacecraft telemetry; • MME Infrastructure & networks for connectivity to/from the MMEs and inter-buildings, Internet, external connectivity and network security, voice communication and data protection services. An overview of these groups and their main elements will be described in the paper. In a next step we will address how EUMETSAT manage Multi Mission Elements as a Portfolio of Services offered to new EUMETSAT programmes, taking into account the unavoidable obsolescence cycles. It will be followed by concrete examples of the “Multi-Mission” benefits materialised in Space Operations at EUMETSAT such as gaining in security, availability, maintainability and reducing the overall Total Cost of Ownership. Taking the current trend, also followed by EUMETSAT, we will finally debate on the potential additional Multi Missions in Ground Systems, e.g. Satellite M&C, Processing system, etc... The overall goal of the paper is to demonstrate the applicability and the benefit of the introduction of Multi-Mission elements on Ground Systems managed as Portfolio of Services and to share this ambitious but successful experience gained in EUMETSAT.