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Definition

Mission Lifetime

The planned operational duration of a space mission. Drives design choices for component reliability, radiation hardening, propellant budget, solar panel degradation, and battery cycle life.

Related terms

Margin

The difference between a resource allocation and the current best estimate. Positive margin means the design has room. M...

Mass Budget

A comprehensive accounting of the mass of every component, subsystem, and the total spacecraft. Includes dry mass, wet m...

Medium Earth OrbitMEO

An orbit with altitude between LEO and GEO, typically 2,000 to 35,786 km. GPS and navigation constellations operate in M...

Mission Assurance

Systematic activities ensuring a mission meets its requirements with acceptable risk. Covers reliability engineering, qu...

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