Architecture and Operations of the OSIRIS-REx Independent Navigation Team

The Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security–Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) Independent Navigation Team (INT) performs center-finding and landmark-based optical navigation (OpNav), orbit determination (OD), maneuver verification, and additional analyses in support of operations motivated by a stringent set of science requirements. The INT has adopted a streamlined and agile approach to navigation operations support via a virtual operations environment, known as "OREX-NAV", which leverages existing capabilities of the Space Science Mission Operations (SSMO) virtual Multi-Mission Operations Center (vMMOC). The virtual environment architecture of OREX-NAV enables the INT to perform daily operational tasks and seamlessly interface with external mission networks, regardless of physical location. Through the automation and processes adopted, the INT is able to keep pace with the rapid cadence of required deliverables.