{"id":{"repo_id":"uiuc","oai_identifier":"oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/129312"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/uiuc/oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/129312","repository":{"repo_id":"uiuc","name":"University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign","base_url":"https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh"},"display":{"title":"Mission design analysis methodology for space-based computational data centers","abstract":"Submission original under an indefinite embargo labeled 'Open Access'. The submission was exported from vireo on 2025-10-19 without embargo terms","abstract_html":"Submission original under an indefinite embargo labeled 'Open Access'. The submission was exported from vireo on 2025-10-19 without embargo terms","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Eason, Richard"],"institution":"University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign","degree_name":"M.S.","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"Aerospace Engineering","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Lembeck, Michael"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2025,"date_issued":"2025-05-06","date_published":"2025-05-06","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:25:04Z","subjects":["Space systems","space-based datacenters","space-based compute","mission design","FreeFlyer","Design analysis","Simulation","data center"],"languages":["en","eng"],"rights":["Copyright 2025 Richard Eason"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129312","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Lembeck, Michael"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Eason, Richard"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2025-05-06","2025-05"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["text","Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Aerospace Engineering"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["M.S."]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Space systems","space-based datacenters","space-based compute","mission design","FreeFlyer","Design analysis","Simulation","data center"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["en","eng"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Copyright 2025 Richard Eason"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129312"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["Submission original under an indefinite embargo labeled 'Open Access'. The submission was exported from vireo on 2025-10-19 without embargo terms","The student, Richard Eason, accepted the attached license on 2025-05-02 at 15:37.","The student, Richard Eason, submitted this Thesis for approval on 2025-05-02 at 15:39.","This Thesis was approved for publication on 2025-05-06 at 09:16.","DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #22191 on 2025-10-19 at 18:12:20","The increasing volume and rate of data generated by Earth observation and other satellite constellations present significant challenges to traditional ground-based processing paradigms, primarily due to downlink bandwidth limitations and latency constraints. This thesis investigates the emerging concept of shifting computational tasks to orbit, utilizing dedicated space-based data center platforms networked with sensor spacecraft. Such distributed architectures offer potential benefits, including reduced data downlink requirements, lower latency for time-critical applications, and leveraging of in-space resources like solar power. However, designing these complex mission architectures involves navigating numerous interdependent technical and economic trade-offs across the ”system of systems”. To address this, a mission design analysis methodology centered around a high-fidelity simulation tool developed within the a.i. Solutions’ FreeFlyer environment is presented. This simulator models the dynamic interactions between key spacecraft subsystems—including electrical power, thermal management, communications (inter-satellite and space-to-ground), propulsion, orbital mechanics, and data generation/processing payloads across both data-generating and data-processing spacecraft roles. The tool enables the evaluation of various architectural configurations and operational scenarios, facilitating the analysis of design parameter sensitivities, assessment of trade-offs (e.g., centralization vs. distribution, power allocation, thermal rejection), and optimization of system performance against metrics like data throughput, latency, and mass-to-orbit. This work provides a framework and a quantitative tool intended to aid mission design engineers in the systematic design and analysis of future space-based computational data center missions."]},{"key":"dc:format","label":"Dc Format","values":["application/pdf"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Mission design analysis methodology for space-based computational data centers"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Lembeck, Michael"],"dc:creator":["Eason, Richard"],"dc:date":["2025-05-06","2025-05"],"dc:description":["Submission original under an indefinite embargo labeled 'Open Access'. The submission was exported from vireo on 2025-10-19 without embargo terms","The student, Richard Eason, accepted the attached license on 2025-05-02 at 15:37.","The student, Richard Eason, submitted this Thesis for approval on 2025-05-02 at 15:39.","This Thesis was approved for publication on 2025-05-06 at 09:16.","DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #22191 on 2025-10-19 at 18:12:20","The increasing volume and rate of data generated by Earth observation and other satellite constellations present significant challenges to traditional ground-based processing paradigms, primarily due to downlink bandwidth limitations and latency constraints. This thesis investigates the emerging concept of shifting computational tasks to orbit, utilizing dedicated space-based data center platforms networked with sensor spacecraft. Such distributed architectures offer potential benefits, including reduced data downlink requirements, lower latency for time-critical applications, and leveraging of in-space resources like solar power. However, designing these complex mission architectures involves navigating numerous interdependent technical and economic trade-offs across the ”system of systems”. To address this, a mission design analysis methodology centered around a high-fidelity simulation tool developed within the a.i. Solutions’ FreeFlyer environment is presented. This simulator models the dynamic interactions between key spacecraft subsystems—including electrical power, thermal management, communications (inter-satellite and space-to-ground), propulsion, orbital mechanics, and data generation/processing payloads across both data-generating and data-processing spacecraft roles. The tool enables the evaluation of various architectural configurations and operational scenarios, facilitating the analysis of design parameter sensitivities, assessment of trade-offs (e.g., centralization vs. distribution, power allocation, thermal rejection), and optimization of system performance against metrics like data throughput, latency, and mass-to-orbit. This work provides a framework and a quantitative tool intended to aid mission design engineers in the systematic design and analysis of future space-based computational data center missions."],"dc:format":["application/pdf"],"dc:identifier":["https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129312"],"dc:language":["en","eng"],"dc:rights":["Copyright 2025 Richard Eason"],"dc:subject":["Space systems","space-based datacenters","space-based compute","mission design","FreeFlyer","Design analysis","Simulation","data center"],"dc:title":["Mission design analysis methodology for space-based computational data centers"],"dc:type":["text","Thesis"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Aerospace Engineering"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["M.S."],"thesis:institution_name":["University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:25:04Z"}