PSCCE (Production Satellite Configuration Control Equipment) to RSCCE (Replacement Satellite Configuration Control Equipment) Transition

摘要

As satellite communications has evolved over the last 25 years, so has the Army's 53rd Signal Battalion (SATCON). The latest example in the Army's evolution of satellite command and control is the transition from the Production Satellite Configuration Control Element (PSCCE) built by Lockheed Martin to the Replacement Satellite Configuration Control Element (RSCCE) built by ITT Industries. The purpose of the PSCCE and RSCCE are to provide monitoring and payload control of the Defense Satellite Communications System (DSCS) Phase III satellites. Although the equipment is changing, the mission is still the same: monitor telemetry to continuously verify health and well being of the satellite; command and reconfigure the communication subsystem of each satellite as directed by the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA); report satellite operating data; and configure data, anomalies, and requested information for DISA, the Air Force at Falcon Mission Control, and other authorities as directed. The U.S. Army fielded the PSCCE in the 1980s. The PSCCE utilizes both software and manually controlled equipment, to continuously monitor telemetry for two satellites, while actively commanding one satellite. The RSCCE was first conceived in 1994 to replace the PSCCE due to aging hardware/software and to take advantage of DSCS satellite improvements not supported by the PSCCE. The RSCCE is designed to monitor and command a single DSCS satellite and is capable of storing numerous DSCS satellite databases for quick handover and monitoring capabilities. The RSCCE design utilizes more modern computer technology in the form of an X-window protocol. The Windows- based software supports enhanced graphical reports and color-coded displays for each of the satellite subsystems. The RSCCE equipment has improved on the PSCCE design by streamlining the equipment to a single lowest replaceable unit, user friendly software displays and reports, automatic fault isolation, and software control.