Design and assess ground segment infrastructure for space missions. Use this skill to plan mission control centers, ground station networks, launch facility requirements, GSE design, and range safety. Trigger for "ground systems," "mission control," "ground station," "GSE," "ground support equipment," "launch pad," "range safety," "mission operations center," "telemetry tracking," or "ground segment."
Read
CONVENTIONS.mdat the repo root before proceeding.
This skill sizes and plans the ground infrastructure that supports a space mission — from the launch pad to the mission control center to the tracking network. Ground systems are typically 30-50% of total mission cost for government programs, yet are often an afterthought in early design phases. Addressing them early avoids expensive surprises.
Ask the user (if not already known):
communications-assessment).
| Element | Rough Cost Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Dedicated MCC (build) | $10-100M | Depends on capability |
| MCC operations (annual) | $5-30M/year | Staffing is dominant cost |
| Ground station (per site) | $1-10M (build) | Antenna + infrastructure |
| Commercial ground pass | $5-50 per minute | Volume discounts available |
| Launch pad (new build) | $50-500M | Highly variable |
| Launch pad refurb | $5-50M | Between campaigns |
ground_systems_report.md): MCC design, ground station network, data flow, and operations concept./requirements/, /analysis/communications-assessment/ (link budget, data rates), /analysis/mission-analysis-specialist/ (orbit for contact analysis), /analysis/mission-operations-manager/ (pass planning, T&C), /analysis/constellation-design/ (multi-satellite ground architecture)/analysis/ground-systems-assessment/cost-modeling (ground segment cost), systems-engineering-assessment (ground segment summary), mission-operations-manager (ground infrastructure for ops planning)