Space Launch Operations and the Lean Aerospace Initiative

The lean concepts of right thing, right place, and at the right time can be applied to current and future launch systems. While much has been written on the concept of lean manufacturing and production, this thesis is the first in a series of studies from the Air Force Institute of Technology and Massachusetts Institute of Technology to investigate lean space launch operations. Nevertheless, many of the principles of lean thinking that have been applied to manufacturing and production are relevant to space operation enterprises including launch operations. The Lean Aerospace Initiative (LAI) and the concepts of lean thinking are discussed in this thesis. A review of launch system requirements and opportunities for lean practices is also presented. This is followed by an analysis of current expendable launch procedures to identify truly lean, value-added steps in launch operations. The thesis also presents a case study highlighting current Delta II expendable launch processing operations. Results of the study show how lean principles have helped the Delta launch team drastically reduce on-pad time, restructure its testing philosophy, and streamline overall operations flow. Many of these practices can be applied to other expendable launch operations and provide a strong systems baseline for the next generation of vehicles such as the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV).

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