FreeFlyer^® Engineer

FreeFlyer Engineer provides all functionality necessary for detailed mission design through operational support and automated manoeuvre planning. It’s scripting language feature allows users to add functionality and implement even the most complex control laws or mission unique requirements without the need for recompiling or purchasing add on modules.

Advanced analysis:  FreeFlyer provides solutions to even the most complex flight dynamics problems such as: Manoeuvre planning and optimization Spacecraft propulsion system sizing and calibration Formation Flying Constellation design and optimization Monte-Carlo analysis Automated parametric studies Collision avoidance
Sensor analysis:    FreeFlyer allows flexible modelling of simple or complex spacecraft sensors. User's can select from simple conic models or define their own complex irregular polygon shapes with obscuration definitions.  Sensor coverage to ground targets or other spacecraft/target objects is easily analyzed. Sensors can also be set up to actively track targets
Manoeuvre analysis:  FreeFlyer’s manoeuvre capability has unmatched flexibility and accuracy and is used daily by NASA to  plan and perform all manoeuvres for the EOS series of spacecraft (EO-1, Landsat-7, AQUA, TERRA).  FreeFlyer supports high precision manoeuvre modelling and analysis for both impulsive and finite manoeuvres.  For finite manoeuvres, fuel mass depletion and mass remaining are integrated during the manoeuvre using the ideal gas law and mass flow rate equations.  The performance, thrust scale factor, and duty cycle information for each thruster is fully modelled to give an accurate representation in either pressure-regulated or blow-down configurations.  Targeting for manoeuvres is handled by a differential corrector that handles standard square and non-square problems.
Attitude:  FreeFlyer provides several flexible options for defining spacecraft attitude. Examples include defining attitude based on Euler angles and rotation sequence, attitude quaternions, attitude matrix input, or spinner attitude definition.  Attitude information can also be read and applied within the FreeFlyer simulation from external files.  FreeFlyer ’s connection to MATLAB Reference frames available to the user include Local Vertical/Local Horizontal (LVLH) and Mean of J2000 Earth Equator.
External Interfaces:  FreeFlyer offers multiple external interface features which allow users flexibility to connect and exchange data with other systems.   The MATLAB interface allows users to exchange data with MATLAB at every FreeFlyer integration step.  This allows users who have algorithms already in MATLAB to attach and use these during a FreeFlyer run and have the full flexibility of FreeFlyer’s output functionality to display data.  This feature is also extremely useful for those who have proprietary or mission unique attitude or control laws already written in MATLAB.