What does the space mission Satellite Operations involve?

• A. Ground station data processing only
• B. Launch and deployment of satellites
• C. Satellite manufacturing
• D. Maneuver, configuration, operations and sustainment of on-orbit assets

Answer: (D)

Satellite Operations focuses on everything needed to run a spacecraft once it is already in orbit. It involves planning and executing maneuvers to position or reorient the satellite, configuring onboard systems and instruments to carry out the mission, and continuously monitoring and managing the spacecraft’s health and status. This includes fault detection and correction, routine command sequences, data collection from the payload, and activities to sustain the asset over its life, such as software updates and decommissioning when it’s time to end the mission. It’s the ongoing, in-space control and support of assets, not activities before launch like manufacturing or the actual launch, and not just data processing at ground stations.