GAFE - Generic AOCS/GNC Techniques & Design Framework for FDIR

GAFE is the abbreviation for "Generic AOCS/GNC Techniques & Design Framework for Failure Detection, Isolation and Recovery" and the name of the framework developed and implemented in the frame of the corresponding ESA-GSTP study.

Its objectives were to develop an engineering approach & prototype tools to support AOCS/GNC FDIR design and V&V in early project phases.

Motivated by the fact that FDIR engineering for Space Systems is lacking a systematic approach and engineering transparency and that consequently the design of the FDIR systems experiences significant growth in complexity and cost late in the development cycle, causing launch delays or delayed completion of the FDIR capabilities after launch.

The result of this study is the GAFE framework, which is composed of three parts:

GAFE Methodology: a step by step guideline to obtain a verified and validated FDIR concept.
GAFE Structural Analysis: a semi-analytical method that performs a detectability and isolability analysis to deduce a redundant equipment set for fault detection and recovery.
GAFE Simulator: a time domain simulator, focussed on FDIR in early phases, using the nominal AOCS/GNC design to verify and validate the FDIR concept.

Visit http://gafe.estec.esa.int/ for more information and documentation