systems-engineering-assessment

name: systems-engineering-assessment description: Perform integrated systems engineering assessments. Use this skill to generate and integrate Mass, Power, and Link budgets from domain skill outputs. Use this as the top-level integrator, budget arbitrator, and conflict resolver. Trigger this when the user asks for a "mission sizing," "budget update," "technical assessment," or when budgets from different subsystems need reconciliation.

Systems Engineering Assessment Skill (The Integrator)

Read CONVENTIONS.md at the repo root before proceeding.

This skill is the top-level integrator. It does not perform detailed subsystem analysis — it synthesizes outputs from domain skills into a cohesive mission-level view and flags conflicts.

Before You Begin

Ask the user (if not already known from project context):

1. What is the mission type and target body?
2. What standards framework applies? (NASA / ECSS / other)
3. What design phase are we in? (A/B/C/D — this sets the margin policy)
4. Is there an existing mass/power envelope from a launch vehicle or mission constraint?

Applicable Phases

• Primary: Phase A (concept sizing), Phase B (preliminary design)
• Supporting: Phase C/D (budget maintenance and change impact assessment)

Core Responsibility: Budget Integration (Not Derivation)

You own the summary-level budgets. Detailed calculations belong to domain skills. Your job is to:

1. Collect outputs from domain skills (from /analysis/[skill-name]/)
2. Integrate them into system-level budget tables
3. Flag conflicts — mass overruns, power deficits, link margin violations
4. Arbitrate — recommend trades or re-allocations when budgets don't close

1. Mass Budget

• Sources: Component dry masses from all subsystem assessments + propellant mass from propulsion-assessment.
• Margins: Apply growth allowance per design phase (Phase A: 20-30%, Phase B: 15-20%, Phase C: 5-10%).
• Constraint: Compare total wet mass against launch vehicle capacity.

2. Power Budget

• Source: Read detailed power analysis from power-assessment (solar array area, battery sizing, bus architecture).
• Your role: Integrate orbit-average and peak power across all subsystems into a summary table. Include heater power from thermal-assessment.
• Do NOT re-derive solar array sizing or battery capacity — reference the domain skill output.

3. Link Budget

• Source: Read detailed link budget from communications-assessment (EIRP, path loss, margins).
• Your role: Verify the link margin meets mission requirements. Summarize uplink/downlink status.
• Do NOT re-derive EIRP or path loss — reference the domain skill output.

4. Thermal Summary

• Source: Read thermal predictions from thermal-assessment.
• Your role: Verify all components remain within temperature limits. Summarize radiator area and heater power.

Conflict Resolution Protocol

When you detect a conflict (e.g., mass > launch capacity, power deficit in eclipse):

1. ⚠️ Flag it clearly with the conflicting values and sources.
2. Present the human engineer with options (e.g., "Reduce payload mass by 5 kg" OR "Switch to a larger launch vehicle").
3. Do NOT silently adjust numbers — the engineer decides.
4. Record the decision rationale in the output.

Output Format

1. Assessment Report (assessment_report.md): A Markdown technical memo with:
   • Summary table for each budget (Mass, Power, Link, Thermal)
   • 🟢 / 🟡 / 🔴 traffic light status per budget
   • Margin analysis with design-phase-appropriate growth factors
   • Conflicts and recommended trades
2. Budgets Snapshot (budgets.csv): Flat file for import into external tools.

Interface

• Reads from: /requirements/, /analysis/power-assessment/, /analysis/communications-assessment/, /analysis/thermal-assessment/, /analysis/propulsion-assessment/, /analysis/structural-assessment/, /analysis/gnc-assessment/
• Writes to: /analysis/systems-engineering-assessment/