The Navigation and Mission Design Branch (NMDB) provides trajectory design support for a wide range of mission phases from feasibility studies through launch and early orbit operations. Feasibility study support typically involves starting with a scientist’s mission goals, producing a viable trajectory, and providing input to subsystem designers (power, thermal, propulsion, communications, and attitude) to ensure subsystem feasibility for the required orbit. This support to proposal efforts, trade studies, and requested analysis items is provided both through the Integrated Mission Design Center (IDC) as well as independently to assist in the definition of mission and trajectory requirements. As the subsystems mature, further refinements to the trajectory are computed, and interfaces are established with the launch vehicle provider, the flight operations team, and the flight project. NMDB provides the necessary mission analysis to meet all science and subsystem constraints while minimizing the mission cost function (e.g. dV, time of transfer, figure of merit). NMDB provides ground system design, testing, and operations to ensure a robust and accurate implementation of the control strategy . After launch, NMDB provides maneuver planning and calibration to place the spacecraft in its mission orbit.

NMDB’s mission design experts have been performing analysis and consultation for a wide variety of missions including:

• Low earth
• Geosynchronous
• Geostationary
  
• Highly eccentric
• Libration point (Lissajous orbit description)
• Lunar
• Gravitational assist
• Interplanetary trajectories

NMDB also has experience in many special types of trajectory design, including:

• Formation Flying
• Constellation Design
• Frozen Orbits
• End-of-life spacecraft disposal
• Comet and asteroid rendezvous
• Aerobraking

NMDB interfaces with many non-NASA entities for mission support, including scientists and principal investigators, the spacecraft contractor, and the launch vehicle provider. Many interfaces are well-established and allow interactions with these entities to be smooth and integrated into the mission design and analysis efforts.