A generic environment for modelling future launch operations—GEM-FLO: a success story in generic modelling

Several NASA programs have been established to study and improve the current launch capability to meet the need for more aggressive space exploration in the future. Numerous launch systems have been proposed by different government and commercial organizations with the potential goal of replacing the Space Shuttle. NASA must evaluate new designs and technologies with the objective of improving upon today's Shuttle cost, performance, and turnaround time, before the government or commercial organizations pursue the large undertaking of a new launch system. To address this issue, the Generic Simulation Environment for Modelling Future Launch Operations (GEM–FLO) was developed to accurately predict processing turnaround times and other effectiveness criteria and support making key business and program decisions. GEM–FLO utilizes a generic modelling paradigm to provide a single platform for modelling different designs, which helped significantly cut the cost of these studies. This paper documents a success story in generic simulation modelling.