System Engineering, Integration and Test and Program Management (SEIT/PM) at the NRO Cost and Acquisition Assessment Group (CAAG)

Introduction This white paper imparts a general understanding of the NRO Cost and Acquisition Assessment Group (CAAG) approach to estimating and normalization of SEIT/PM costs for space programs.

Definitions SEITPM is comprised of multiple distinct elements which may include: Systems Engineering, Integration & Test, Program Management, SV Support Equipment, Launch Operations and On-Orbit Support/Launch Systems Integration. While these elements may occur at multiple levels of the standard work breakdown structure, definitions are given at the system level:

System Engineering (SE) - This Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) element contains the resources associated with all engineering from functional specialists (excluding checkout/test and evaluation), which provide technical planning, technical management, analysis, and support efforts for the development and production of the Space System. This engineering support includes: System Engineering; Safety; Quality Assurance; Reliability; Availability; Maintainability; and Human Engineering associated with the overall Space System.

Integration & Test (I&T) - This WBS element represents Space System Integration and Test (I&T) and includes all resources necessary to integrate the Space System elements into a functional space-ground system. It includes I&T management – requirements definition, planning and scheduling; development of test plans and procedures; test preparations, and conduct; development of software for supporting Space System I&T; and review, analysis and documentation of Space System test results.

Program Management (PM) - Space System Program Management (PM) includes management, direction and control of all effort contributing to the development, production, custom and COTS procurement, and integration of the entire Space System. It includes administration, project controls, product effectiveness, data and configuration management, subcontract management and security management.

Space Vehicle (SV) Support Equipment – This element pertains to the design, development, and production of those items and associated software required to build, assemble, integrate, move, support and maintain the system or portions of the space system. This also pertains to the testing and measurement equipment which allows an operator or maintenance function to evaluate operational conditions of a system or

equipment by performing specific diagnostics, screening, or quality assurance efforts. [This element is typically known as Support & Test Equipment (STE) or Ground Support Equipment (GSE)]

Launch Operations and On-Orbit Support (LOOS) and Launch System Integration – Launch Operations are those efforts performed by the provider(s) of the Space Vehicle and Payload(s) to prepare for and support Space Vehicle launches, primarily at the launch base and, to a lesser degree, the Space Vehicle factory. Launch System Integration (LSI) effort is primarily the engineering studies and analyses required to integrate a Space Vehicle with its Launch Vehicle and Orbital Transfer Vehicle, and insure the Space Vehicle is placed into orbit, as required. LSI effort is a coordinated activity between the Space Vehicle developer and the Launch Vehicle provider. The effort within this element is performed by Space Vehicle developer with support from the Launch Vehicle provider.

SEITPM has historically occurred (and been reported in cost reports) at multiple levels of the WBS as illustrated below:

Space System Space System SEITPM Satellite Satellite SEITPM Bus Bus SEITPM Subsystem 1 Subsystem SEITPM Subsystem HW/SW Subsystem 2… Comm. Payload Comm. Payload SEITPM Comm. Payload HW/SW Payload Payload SEITPM Telescope Telescope SEITPM Telescope HW/SW Sensor SEITPM Sensor HW/SW PL End-item Y PL End-item Z Ground System Ground System SEITPM Ground Segment Ground Segment SEITPM Ground Function Ground Function SEITPM Ground HW/SW

NRO CAAG Approaches The NRO CAAG collects data for operational space systems, ground system, demo satellites, payload and launch vehicles. This data is normalized in a fashion which isolates the cost of SEIT/PM. Since contractors vary in their booking of SEIT/PM, the normalization process identifies SEIT/PM at lower levels than may be estimated (i.e. Bus, Propulsion Subsystem). This data is then used to develop models (cost estimating relationships (CERs)) which capture the typical complete cost of a system. The CAAG considers program specifics including acquisition strategy, and integration philosophy when determining where in the WBS to apply the CERs, and performs sanity checks of the estimated SEITPM against a database of historical actuals.

Results For space systems, the CAAG uses CERs to estimate costs for Systems Engineering and Program Management (SEPM), I&T, Support Equipment, and LOOS/LSI. For ground systems, CERs are applied at the Ground Segment and Ground Function level. These CERs are developed and applied at distinct levels of the WBS (leftmost column in the table below). Cost drivers for various SEITPM elements are shown in the table below:

I&T SEPM STE LOOS & LSI

Satellite NR/T1 (heritage), mass, Cost of all hardware/SW Satellite weight, number Total space cost, heavy number of flight units on built & GSE, Electro-optical, of flight units on launch vehicle, number contract, Electro-optical, MPL/GFE contract, heritage of flight units on RF Intel Collector contract, first of kind

Payload (EO NR/T1 (heritage), mass, Heritage, recurring quantity Cost of new- payload / number of focal planes, on contract, mass, first in development hardware, recurring quantity on series, contracting approach recurring quantity on instrument / contract contract, mass, sensor) contracting approach Focal length, NR/T1 Aperture, cost of all Aperture, cost of new- (heritage), total hardware/SW built, NR/T1 development hardware, Subsystem development and fight (heritage), recurring quantity contracting approach (Telescope) quantity on contract, on contract, and contracting contracting approach approach

Payload (Radar, Cost of all hardware Cost of all hardware/SW Cost of new- COMM, SIGINT) built, percent built I&T & GSE built, development hardware, nonrecurring, MPL/GFE MPL/GFE mass, number of satellites on contract Ground Segment Prime Mission Equipment (Total Cost of the & Function development, maintenance, and recap of HW/SW and HW/SW Support Equipment), existence of multiple major ground functions, contract structure

EO: Electro-Optical NR/T1: Ratio of Non-Recurring Cost to Theoretical First Unit Cost MPL/GFE: Mission Payload/Government Furnished Equipment, this driver indicates that the mission payload is provided as Government Furnished Equipment to the prime contractor, impacting the levels of SEITPM required to integrate the spacecraft.