Mission Planning Workflows

The mission planner is where you turn ideas into manoeuvre programmes. It couples a script editor with real-time propulsion analysis so you can review burn sequences before applying them to the simulation. If you prefer a step-by-step walkthrough, start with the Mission Planner Quickstart and then return here for more advanced patterns.

Planner Overview

• Script Editor – Enter one manoeuvre per line using the format shown in the built-in help text (time token + TNW Δv vector). Comments start with #.
• Node Table – Lists the parsed manoeuvre nodes with execution times, Δv magnitudes, TNW components, and burn mode (TNW or inertial).
• Warnings Panels – Separate panels surface parsing errors, propulsion warnings (e.g., insufficient propellant), and burn-overlap warnings.
• Footer Controls – “Calculate ΔV budget” appears when the script contains directives such as :circular. “Run manoeuvre program” applies the script to the selected spacecraft once errors are resolved.

Typical Workflow

1. Select a Spacecraft – Use the drop-down at the top of the window. Spacecraft are provided by the Spacecraft Manager.
2. Review the Help Text – The default script explains syntax, time tokens (+10m, 2025-07-01T12:00Z, periapsis), directives, and commands (clear, jettison).
3. Author Manoeuvres – Example:

   +10m [0.050,0,0]
   +45m [0,0.015,0]:tnw

   This schedules a 50 m/s prograde burn followed by a small normal burn 45 minutes later.
4. Use Directives When Needed – Lines such as apoapsis :circular require the Calculate ΔV budget button to compute the actual Δv vector before running the programme.
5. Check the Propulsion Panel – The Propulsion Analysis expander shows available Δv per stage, planned consumption, and warnings if stages would run dry. Staging data comes from the spacecraft detail window.
6. Run the Programme – Click Run manoeuvre program. The planner batches the nodes, sends them to the physics worker, and the 3D scene reflects the executed manoeuvres once their times are reached.

Working With Staging

• Staging data (mass, ISP, thrust) lives in the spacecraft detail window. Update stages there before writing manoeuvres.
• The planner uses those values to estimate burn durations and highlight when a burn would exceed available propellant.
• If you jettison stages via the script (e.g., +1h jettison:stage=1), the propulsion panel updates after the programme runs.

Integrating With Other Windows

• Spacecraft Detail – After running a programme, open the detail window to inspect updated orbital elements, state vectors, and propulsion timelines.
• Mission Timeline – Use the top-bar Timeline button to review the spacecraft’s timeline using the same SimulationSettings component shown in the detail view.
• Orbit Graph – Open the orbit graph to plot altitude, inclination, eccentricity, and other metrics; use the CSV export button for offline analysis.
• Groundtrack – If you added low-altitude manoeuvres, open the Groundtrack window to see how coverage and markers change.
• Copilot – The Copilot window can draft manoeuvre scripts or explain existing ones if you have the integration enabled.

Tips

• Keep scripts readable with comments and descriptive manoeuvre names (+2h [0.0,0.0,0.05] Plane change).
• Use relative time tokens (+10m, +2h) when tuning manoeuvre spacing—it makes iterative edits straightforward.
• If you need to start fresh, add a clear line to remove previous programme nodes before re-running.
• Share the current mission state with team-mates via the Share window; the URL includes mission planner scripts and spacecraft data.

With these pieces in place you can iteratively script, analyse, and run manoeuvres while the simulation continues feeding data to the rest of the workspace.