Maunakea Spectroscopic Explorer (MSE): Implementing systems engineering methodology for the development of a new facility

TL;DR

The paper discusses the implementation of systems engineering methodology in developing the Maunakea Spectroscopic Explorer, a large-scale telescope with complex subsystems, ensuring requirements are systematically derived and consistent.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive systems engineering approach for MSE, including requirements flow-down, performance budgets, and subsystem linkages, tailored for a fiber-fed survey telescope.

Findings

Requirements flow-down from science to observatory level.

Development of system performance budgets and architecture.

Identification of subsystem links and unique MSE budgets.

Abstract

Maunakea Spectroscopic Explorer will be a 10-m class highly multiplexed survey telescope, including a segmented primary mirror and robotic fiber positioners at the prime focus. MSE will replace the Canada France Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) on the summit of Mauna Kea, Hawaii. The multiplexing includes an array of over four thousand fibres feeding banks of spectrographs several tens of meters away. We present an overview of the requirements flow-down for MSE, from Science Requirements Document to Observatory Requirements Document. We have developed the system performance budgets, along with updating the budget architecture of our evolving project. We have also identified the links between subsystems and system budgets (and subsequently science requirements) and included system budget that are unique to MSE as a fiber-fed facility. All of this has led to a set of Observatory Requirements that is fully consistent with the Science Requirements.