Space
The Plan Safe factor
Our Services
Safety Engineering and Assurance
The Plan Safe team are experts in Safety Engineering and Assurance. We work with your engineering team to develop pragmatic and solution focussed safety programs, so you can focus on delivering a great product. We develop clear safety arguments using goal structuring notation and implement industry-standard techniques like Functional Hazard Analysis and Fault Tree Analysis.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
Our Team
Our Work
Hypersonic vehicle launch permit
Australian hypersonic vehicle company
Ground Risk Assessment on Hypersonic vehicle’s filling ground operations
The Challenge
The leading Australian hypersonic vehicle company required detailed safety and regulatory compliance services, and support for approvals required from NASA to operate their vehicle’s mission from the NASA’s Wallops Range in Virginia USA. The brief also required a safety assessment to demonstrate compliance with the stringent NASA range safety requirements.
What We Did
Plan Safe team has extensive experience in conducting risk assessment and demonstrating compliance with space range safety standards, including the NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility Range Safety Manual (GSFC-STD-8009) and associated range safety standards (e.g. Space Systems COPV standard – ANSI/AIAA S-081B-2018).
Our team conducted the risk assessment from ground hazardous operations, as follow:
· conducting a systematic hazard identification during each phase of the ground operations (using Bow-tie methodology), with associated controls.
· Prepared and facilitated hazard identification Workshop with SMEs to review/identify hazards, controls and assign risk ratings, incorporating relevant outcomes into the HAZOP worksheet.
· Conduct a detailed research of the applicable range safety requirements applicable in the spaceport targeted for launch operations, evaluating the compliance of the hypersonic vehicle propulsion system to those range requirements, providing guidance and recommendations to achieve compliance based on track record experience in space activities licencing and range safety standards compliance.
· Produce the Propulsion system’s Hazard Assessment Management Report, with a qualitative argument supporting that the risk associated to the vehicle’s ground activities are adequately safe and comply with applicable range safety standards.
%20copy.jpg)
The Outcome
Plan Safe successfully produced the safety artefact required to obtain the hypersonic vehicle’s launch permit from the NASA Wallops Range. Moreover, the rigorous requirements of the NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility Range Safety Manual and associated range safety regulations/standards was incorporated into the vehicle’s design, testing and operations.
Australian Spaceport licensing
Space Client
Range Safety Plan Development
The Challenge
The leading Australian space rocket company required detailed systems safety engineering and aerospace licencing/regulatory expertise to demonstrate compliance with the stringent Australian Space Agency standards to obtain a Launch Facility Licence and operate their launch facility.
What We Did
Plan Safe resources produced and reviewed relevant artefacts required for granting Bowen Orbital Spaceport launch facility licence (e.g. range safety plan). Develop range safety plan in compliance with customer’s project requirements, the Australian Space Agency standards and range safety requirements. Support regulatory engagement activities as part of the Launch Facility Licence application.
The Outcome
The first launch facility licence for an orbital launch facility in Australia has been granted to the client in March 2024 for its Bowen Orbital Spaceport, enabling to prepare and continue readiness for launch of its Medium Sized Rocket (i.e. Eris).
Space-based air traffic surveillance
Space Client
Reduced separation minima Safety Case
The Challenge
Due to the growth in air traffic and the need to increase its airspace capacity in the Asian Pacific region, the Air navigation service provider required the development of a Safety Case enabling the implementation of reduced separation minima through the use of space-based air traffic surveillance.
What We Did
Plan Safe have been engaged to ensure the safe transition to reduced separation minima in the Indian airspace through the use of space-based ADS-B. Plan Safe provides experienced safety engineers to ensure that the new Indian airspace separation minima are compliant with applicable air traffic regulations and demonstrate that the operational risks are managed to levels that are As Low As Reasonably Practicable (ALARP).
Plan Safe activities include:
· Defining a tailored safety management approach and developing the safety argument (using Goal Structuring Notation)
· Conducting regulatory research to identify the applicable standards/regulations (ICAO, Eurocontrol, National regulations…), elaborate a detailed mapping with interactions between those regulations, index all relevant requirements into a compliance matrix and collect relevant evidence to demonstrate compliance.
· Performing hazard identification activities to demonstrate risks are managed as ALARP
· Developing the safety case providing the overarching safety argument
· Stakeholder engagement to ensure supporting evidence will be delivered on due diligence for the safety case approval.
The Outcome
The client was able to start implementing reduced separation minima through operational trials and engage with the national aviation safety regulator to obtain relevant approvals.
