Problem
GN&C programs commonly suffer from fragmented handoffs, duplicated models, and late discovery of interface/constraint conflicts. Small requirement changes ripple through navigation, guidance, control, and ops products—creating rework and schedule risk.
What We Do
Astro Aerospace executes your GN&C effort end-to-end—from early requirements through certified flight code and operational handover. We use our proprietary internal tools to maintain a single data model for interfaces, constraints, and verification artifacts across the stack.
Outcome: traceable requirements, validated design, flight-ready code, and a NASA-aligned compliance dossier.
Engagement Inputs
- Mission objectives and success criteria
- Vehicle configuration (sensors/actuators, buses, resource budgets)
- Environmental regimes and operational constraints (power, thermal, antenna/FOV, rate limits)
- Program standards and certification targets (NASA frameworks, company coding standards)
Delivery Flow (Concept → Certified Code)
01 — Discovery & Requirements
- Capture stakeholder objectives, measurable performance targets, and operational constraints.
- Define GN&C success metrics (e.g., pointing accuracy, propellant budget, settling time, latency).
- Establish traceability structure linking requirements → models → tests → evidence.
Outputs: requirements set, risk register, initial test strategy.
02 — Architecture & Interfaces
- Build the GN&C architecture with interface contracts (signals, units, timing, accuracy).
- Allocate constraint budgets (power/thermal/FOV/rates/CPU) to subsystems.
- Select algorithmic approaches and observability/controllability strategy.
Outputs: architecture spec, interface contracts, constraint budget table.
03 — Simulation & Design
- Develop closed-loop simulations for key regimes and corner cases.
- Design and tune navigation filters, guidance profiles, and control laws.
- When a requirement changes, our toolchain flags dependent interfaces/constraints and triggers automatic re-validation in the affected campaigns.
Outputs: GN&C models, tuning pack with rationales, simulation results.
04 — Integration & Flight Code
- Generate and/or implement C/C++ flight code aligned with project coding standards.
- Provide scaffolds for unit tests and continuous integration.
- Ensure determinism, resource compliance, and timing budgets are honored.
Outputs: flight-code modules, unit-test scaffolds, integration notes.
05 — Verification & Validation
- Execute Monte-Carlo and worst-case search campaigns tied to requirements.
- Maintain regression testpacks for changes and defect fixes.
- Produce quantitative coverage summaries and evidence packets.
Note: Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) is optional via partner facilities; this brief assumes simulation-centric V&V.
Outputs: coverage and sensitivity reports, requirement pass/fail ledger, signed evidence.
06 — Certification Evidence & Ops Handover
- Assemble a NASA-aligned compliance dossier: matrices, rationales, test evidence, and sign-offs.
- Prepare operations materials: sequence/command templates, constraint checks, and on-call engineering support plan.
Outputs: compliance dossier, ops handbook, acceptance package.
Tooling Principles (How We Reduce Rework)
- Single Data Model: interfaces, constraints, requirements, and verification artifacts are linked, so changes propagate deterministically.
- Interface Contracts: strict signal/timing/units definitions prevent integration surprises.
- Constraint Budgets: power/thermal/FOV/rate/CPU limits are tracked and re-validated when designs move.
- Automated Re-validation: affected test campaigns re-run on change—before code merges.
- Regression Packs: permanent guardrails built from real defects and edge cases.
Deliverables You Receive
- GN&C Architecture Specification & Interface Contracts
- Algorithms & Tuning Pack with rationales and operating envelopes
- Flight Code (C/C++) with unit-test scaffolds and CI hooks
- Verification Artifacts: Monte-Carlo campaigns, worst-case search, regression results
- Certification Dossier: NASA-aligned matrices, evidence, and sign-offs
- Operations Materials: sequence templates, constraint monitors, support plan
Acceptance & Exit Criteria (Typical)
- All Level-1/Level-2 requirements verified with evidence and coverage thresholds met
- Timing/resource budgets pass on final configuration
- No open Cat-1 defects; Cat-2s have workarounds and are tracked
- Compliance dossier accepted by program authority; ops handover complete
Why This Works
A unified model of requirements → interfaces → constraints → verification prevents late surprises. When something changes, the system pinpoints what must be updated and proves the change safe via targeted re-validation. That’s how we deliver faster cycles, lower rework, and certified flight code with confidence.