Cost-Effective Allocation of NASA's Rocket Propulsion Test Assets

NASA's vision for space exploration requires the development of several new rocket propulsion test articles such as the J-2X engine and the Orion propulsion. Enhanced testing capabilities are needed to properly address the feasibility, performance and lifetime aspects of new rocket propulsion technologies. The Aerospace Corporation performed a study to evaluate options for NASA's existing and proposed rocket propulsion test assets that can meet emerging NASA, DOD and commercial requirements over the next decade. Alternate options for test facility allocation are developed with the objective of minimizing total cost over the planning horizon. The mathematical problem presented a special challenge in terms of multiple scenarios that exist for the current and intermittent states of these facilities while not in testing mode. Determining the optimal mix require a sophisticated model that can handle the six different states a facility can be in at a given point in time and ten different types of costs that may incur depending on the state. Costs are incurred when the facility is in active state as well as inactive state waiting for the next planned tests. Mathematical optimization and search algorithms were used to develop alternative solutions that satisfied the defined constraints. The problem also presented a challenge for commercial optimization software and was therefore augmented with internally developed algorithms.(12)