Comparison of Decision Analysis Methods for CubeSat Propulsion System
Abstract
Low Earth Orbit (LEO) is becoming an increasingly congested orbital regime. As a result, propulsion systems on CubeSats are becoming a more desirable feature to provide them with collision avoidance capabilities. To date, there have been very few CubeSat launches with a propulsion system on them. Due to the relatively high cost of a propulsion system compared to the budget of small educational organizations, a decision analysis model is needed so that these organizations can make the best decision between whether to purchase a Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) product or to develop one within the organization. This research applies three decision analysis methods: Simple Multi-Attribute Rating Technique with Swing weights (SMARTS), the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), and Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). A comparison of the strengths and weaknesses of these methods when applied to the propulsion system selection problem is then conducted.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 2021
- Accession Number
- AD1138312
Entities
People
- Jared L Pilcher
Organizations
- Air Force Institute of Technology