Flight Dynamics Facility

Mission Success Begins Here

The FDF provides comprehensive flight dynamics services to science missions, human exploration programs, space communications networks, and launch vehicle providers. The FDF also emphasizes the value of pre-launch coordination, testing, and analysis to ensure mission success because it’s better to prevent an incident than it is to recover from one.

The FDF helps projects answer three critical questions:

“Where are you?”

“Where do you want to go?”

“How can we get you there safely?”

Application Areas

The "Pillars of Creation" as shown reflected in the JWST mirror array.

Science Missions

FDF navigation support covers all mission phases and flight regimes, from launch and powered flight, to orbit transfer and maintenance, and finally to end-of-mission. FDF performs real-time on-console support daily and for critical mission events.

2022 Orion “Selfie”. The Artemis Orion capsule broke a distance record in space in Photo: NASA

Human Spaceflight

FDF’s history of Human Spaceflight Support stretches back to Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, and Shuttle. The FDF is excited to be supporting ISS and NASA’s latest wave of human exploration missions, including Artemis, SpaceX Starship, and Blue Origin New Glenn.

Concept Art showing an SLS launch, with the earth's atmosphere and the blackness of space in the background.

Launch Vehicle Support

The FDF integrates network tracking and real-time launch trajectory information to ensure that customers can maintain communications through the entire launch sequence, even in the event of emergencies.

Network Tracking Evaluation & Certification

The FDF ensures that tracking data used to locate Spacecraft is accurate and reliable. With a large, diverse set of mission support, the FDF is in a unique position to evaluate and monitor the quality of tracking data from various networks, including ground and space-based tracking assets.

Graphic representation of near-Earth communications architecture composed of both government and commercial owned assets.

Publicly Available Models

Models generated and assembled by the FDF to support orbit determination and prediction are publicly available and regularly used by the aerospace community. From station geodetics to solar activity, these models benefit the community as a whole.

Aerial view of six colorful opened booked.

Selected White Papers

Since the very beginning, FDF analysts and subject matter experts have been investigating, designing, and reporting on Flight Dynamics from an operational perspective. A long history of white papers is available for review, reflecting the FDF’s participation in past conferences and journals.

Success Stories: Saving the Day

The FDF has seen it all: A spacecraft deployed to the wrong orbit. A satellite gone silent.
A mission that maneuvered “in the blind.” A satellite with a thruster stuck on, and a satellite with an inoperable thruster. In each case, the FDF switched into high gear and ensured that the satellite could be located, communications could be restored, and years of scientific exploration can continue.

Emergency Recovery of ICESat-2

When the ICESat-2 spacecraft entered safe-hold following a seasonal solar array transition, the spacecraft’s GPS receiver turned off and the onboard navigation state was lost. The FDF provided an updated state vector and propagated ephemeris using both the pre-anomaly GPS data and tracking data provided by the Near-Earth Network. The ICESat-2 Flight Dynamics Engineer working in the MOC thanked the FDF for their critical assistance: “…we would have been dead in the water without the FDF.”

IceCube Identification and Recovery Solutions

When IceCube was deployed from the International Space Station (ISS), spacecraft operators were initially unable to communicate with the satellite. FDF analysts implemented a new technique to generate higher-accuracy solutions using only low-accuracy Two-Line Elements (TLEs). By pre-processing TLEs, FDF analysts generated more accurate definitive and predictive orbital state solutions, allowing for a timely recovery of the IceCube mission.

Multipurpose Logistics Module (MLM) Emergency

Two days prior to the docking of the Russian Multipurpose Logistics Module (MLM) to the ISS, the FDF was asked to provide contingency support as a risk mitigation. After docking, an inadvertent firing of the MLM thrusters caused ISS to lose control of its attitude and a spacecraft emergency was declared. FDF responded to the anomaly by providing additional console staffing, coordinating with all network elements, and ensuring that communication was maintained despite the unplanned thrusting.

FDF News

FDF News showcases its latest achievements in the aerospace industry as it continues to lead the arena with its comprehensive flight dynamics services, supporting a diverse range of customers including NASA, U.S. Government agencies, private companies, and international space organizations.

More FDF News

FDF Supports GOES-U

On June 26, 2024, the Flight Dynamics Facility (FDF) supported the successful launch of the GOES-U satellite. The FDF was on-console 24x7 for a month to provide primary Flight Dynamics and Navigation support for the spacecraft during orbit raise and on-orbit...

FDF Supports Europa Clipper Launch

On October 14th 2024, FDF's Flight Ops Analyst team provided on-console support for the Falcon Heavy / Europa Clipper launch. In support of this mission, the Network provided TDRS services for ~15 minutes over the...

FDF Supports Polaris Dawn

The Flight Dynamics Facility’s (FDF) Flight Ops Team supported the Polaris Dawn mission from its launch on September 10th, 2024 through its successful re-entry and splashdown five days later. Prior to launch, the Flight Ops Team not only prepared for routine...

FDF Supports Boeing Starliner Launch

On June 5th, 2024, the FDF supported the successful launch and orbit insertion of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner spacecraft carrying two NASA Astronauts, Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams...

FDF Supports Starship IFT-3

On March 14th, 2024 the FDF, along with the Near Space Network (NSN), supported the SpaceX Starship Integrated Flight Test-3 (IFT-3). FDF provided TDRS pointing data to the Space Relay to ensure communications with the vehicle during the flight test...

FDF Supports the Launch and Commissioning of PACE

Early morning on February 8th, 2024, the PACE spacecraft launched aboard a Space-X Falcon-9 Rocket, and the Flight Dynamics Facility (FDF) was fully staffed to provide critical support. FDF was tasked with provided...

Contact the FDF for More Information

Preparing for Support? Want to learn more about our capabilities? Reach out to the FDF’s Operations Planning Task.

The FDF employs a team of Systems Engineers to manage requirements, documentation, lines-of-business, process improvements, and assist FDF Management in business development.