Case Study: Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) achieves extended Mars Pathfinder mission life and real-time replanning with Franz Inc.'s Allegro CL planning system

Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) - Customer Case Study

Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) needed a way to plan and re‑plan the Mars Pathfinder spacecraft’s daily operations in real time as new telemetry arrived, while integrating data from multiple Unix‑based systems and evolving the tool during concurrent engineering. JPL worked with Franz Inc., using Allegro CL to develop and adapt the MPF Plan‑IT‑II planning system for this demanding flight environment.

Franz Inc. delivered an Allegro CL–based MPF Plan‑IT‑II solution (including the Plan‑IT‑II Adaptation Language) that integrated inputs from C, Ada, Tcl, and Perl systems, supported incremental compilation and runtime patching, and enabled rapid on‑the‑fly plan evolution. The result: JPL could boost data rates (from about 1,185 bps to roughly 8,300 bps in one case), extend mission life well beyond the planned 30 days to at least 83 days, optimize power use and daily operations, and return far more science data than originally expected.

Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)

David S. Mittman

Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)