RFI in Scheduler

Scheduler has the ability to calculate RFI periods inside of a schedule by creating RFI constraint links. You can configure how Scheduler handles these RFI periods when generating a schedule, export a list of the RFI periods, and also export the schedule's RFI configuration to import the configuration to other schedules or keep for your reference.

All information related to RFI operations in Scheduler are explained in further detail on this page.

RFI Entity Types

A resource can be constrained to one of three entity types inside of a schedule. These entity types are None, Satellite, or CommNode.

None

This option allows the user to specify that no RFI interferences should be considered for this resource.

Satellite

This option allows the user to define the resource as a satellite. This allows the user to specify any potential interfering satellites, as well as make the resource available for selection when defining interfering satellites for other resources.

CommNode

This option allows the user to define the resource as a comm node. Currently, this is any non-satellilite, ground asset associated with a STK Facility object.

RFI Interfering Entities

This list of satellites specifies all the defined interfering satellites for the selected resource. This table can be updated manually, but also can be updated through the RFI Configuration Ingest. Interfering satellites can either be resources in the schedule with the Satellite RFI Entity Type value, or can be defined using their NORAD SSC Number.

Satellite ID

This is the name of the interfering satellite. The list of options is limited to only the resources set as a Satellite on the RFI tab.

SSC Number

This is the NORAD ID for the interfering satellite.

SSC Alias

If using the NORAD ID of an interfering satellite, this assigns an alias for the interfering satellite.

Maximum Angle (degrees)

Regardless of interfering satellite definition, the maximum angle defines the largest angle formed from a Satellite-Comm Node-Interfering Satellite configuration.

RFI Deprioritization

None

RFI Periods are not calculated when this behavior is selected.

Blackout

RFI Periods within an applicable task time slot will be removed, splitting the time slot into smaller sub-time slots. For example, a 30 minute time slot with a three second period of RFI at the 15 minute mark will be split into one 15 minute time slot, followed by three seconds of no availability, and finally one time slot with a 14 minute and 57 second duration.

Minimized

Applicable task time slots with RFI periods will have their scores set to the lowest possible rating with this deprioritization behavior. These time slots will only be chosen for assignments when all unaffected time slots have already been assigned.

Priority Offset

Applicable task time slots with RFI periods will have their scores offset by the amount specified in the Priority Offset Amount input box with this deprioritization behavior, allowing RFI periods of high priority tasks to still be scheduled over lower priority tasks.

RFI Configuration

RFI Configuration File Format

STK Scheduler Online RFI configuration files are JSON formatted. The following is a table of keys and values that are used to configure RFI.

Example RFI Configuration File

[
  {
    "ResourceId": "AQUA",
    "RfiEntityType": "Satellite",
    "RfiInterferingEntities": [
      {
        "RfiResourceID": "POLAR",
        "MaxRfiAngle": 10.0
      }
    ]
  },
  {
    "ResourceId": "Goldstone26",
    "RfiEntityType": "CommNode"
  },
  {
    "ResourceId": "Guam46",
    "RfiEntityType": "CommNode"
  },
  {
    "ResourceId": "Madrid26",
    "RfiEntityType": "CommNode"
  },
  {
    "ResourceId": "POLAR",
    "RfiEntityType": "Satellite"
  }
]

RFI Resource Report

Information on each column of the exported CSV file can be found in the table below.