Rapid prototyping for Martian space systems

With the clear path towards Mars for future human exploration missions, rapid prototyping tools may enhance different missions' architectural solutions. Such tools rapidly estimate mass, power and data budgets, providing quantitative figures of metrics to evaluate the most effective technical solutions in line with the stakeholders' needs. Politecnico di Torino is actively working on IDREAM an integrated framework with capabilities of sizing space systems, estimating their cost and building roadmaps for the maturation of the involved technologies. The iDREAM methodology consists of four main modules that can be used in a stand-alone mode and in an integrated activity flow, exploiting the implemented automatic connections. The first module consists of a well-structured MySQL database developed to support all the other modules, thanks to a unified connection guaranteed by an ad-hoc developed Database Management Library managing the operations of data input and output from/to the database throughout the tool modules. The second module consists of a vehicle design routine and a mission design routine, supporting the design of a new vehicle and mission concept and assessing the main performance of an already existing configuration. The third module is estimating the cost of the system. Once the design is defined, it is possible to run a subsystem-level cost estimation. Using the subsystems’ masses estimated in the design routine, the parametric cost model provides useful insights into the potential development, manufacturing, and operating costs, as well as the cost and price per flight. Eventually, the developed methodology gives the possibility to generate a technology roadmap (fourth module). Supported by a database connection, the tool estimates each technology readiness and risk assessment and indicates the necessary activities, missions, and future works. This presentation highlights the use of IDREAM to rapidly prototype Martian space systems.