The Brief Changed Seven Times. We Launched On Version Seven. Version Seven Was Fine.
ORC DISPATCH · MISSION REPORT · ORC-2025-077 · CLEARED FOR EXTERNAL PUBLICATION · BRIEF VERSIONS RETAINED · ALL SEVEN
MISSION REF / ORC-2025-077 · FILED 02 MAY 2025 · PUBLISHED 23 MAY 2026
The Brief Changed Seven Times. We Launched On Version Seven. Version Seven Was Fine.
LEO Standard Retrieval · S-01 · ORC-V1 “Maud” · Apr–May 2025
APPROVED: M. HARGREAVES · LEGAL: L. SANDHU · NOTE: THE BRIEF VERSIONS ARE DOCUMENTED BELOW. ALL SEVEN. THE CLIENT HAS BEEN INFORMED THIS REPORT WOULD BE PUBLISHED. THE CLIENT SAID THEY WERE “NOT SURPRISED.”
MISSION BRIEF · VERSION HISTORY · SELECT A VERSION
V1
V2
V3
V4
V5
V6
V7 · LAUNCHED
VERSION
V1 · Received 02 April 2025 · 09:14
OBJECT
Decommissioned LEO communications satellite, 340 kg, 558 km circular, stable attitude
SERVICE REQUESTED
S-01 Standard Retrieval
TIMELINE
Mission to commence within 6 weeks of contract signing
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS
None stated
REQUESTED BY
Client contact: [redacted] · Title: Head of Satellite Operations
This is the original brief. It is clear, complete, and contains all the information ORC requires. Dr. Chen described V1 as “everything you need.” V1 was sufficient. V1 was sent at 09:14. V2 arrived at 14:47 the same day.
VERSION
V2 · Received 02 April 2025 · 14:47 5 HRS LATER
OBJECT
Decommissioned LEO communications satellite, 340 kg 290 kg MASS REVISED, 558 km circular, stable attitude
SERVICE REQUESTED
S-01 Standard Retrieval
TIMELINE
Mission to commence within 6 weeks of contract signing
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS
The client has requested that re-entry be confirmed before 15 May 2025 if at all possible. NEW
CHANGE NOTE
Mass revised following internal review of launch records. Timeline preference added.
The mass change from 340 kg to 290 kg is noted. The 15 May preference is also noted. Dr. Chen reviewed V2 and said the timeline was “achievable but snug.” A. Kowalski drafted a revised planning schedule. That schedule became irrelevant at V3.
VERSION
V3 · Received 04 April 2025 · 11:22 2 DAYS LATER
OBJECT
Decommissioned LEO communications satellite, 290 kg, 558 km circular 558 × 571 km elliptical ORBIT REVISED, stable attitude
SERVICE REQUESTED
S-01 Standard Retrieval
TIMELINE
Mission to commence within 6 weeks of contract signing Mission to commence within 4 weeks of contract signing SHORTENED
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS
Re-entry confirmed before 15 May 2025 if at all possible. Client to be updated every 48 hours. NEW
CHANGE NOTE
Orbit updated from current TLE data. Timeline shortened. Update frequency added.
The orbit change is reasonable — the client had received updated TLE data. The timeline shortening from 6 to 4 weeks is less reasonable. The 48-hour update requirement is noted. Dr. Chen revised his calculations. A. Kowalski revised the planning schedule. That schedule also became irrelevant.
VERSION
V4 · Received 05 April 2025 · 08:55 1 DAY LATER
OBJECT
Decommissioned LEO communications satellite, 290 kg 310 kg MASS REVISED AGAIN, 558 × 571 km elliptical, stable attitude slow tumble (<0.5 rpm) ATTITUDE REVISED
SERVICE REQUESTED
S-01 Standard Retrieval
TIMELINE
Mission to commence within 4 weeks of contract signing
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS
Re-entry confirmed before 15 May 2025 if at all possible. REMOVED Client to be updated every 48 hours.
CHANGE NOTE
Mass corrected again. Attitude state updated — object has begun slow tumble. 15 May preference withdrawn as no longer achievable.
The 15 May requirement being withdrawn is noted. The object is now tumbling, which changed the capture approach. Dr. Chen recalculated. This is the third set of calculations. Dr. Chen did not comment on this. Dr. Chen’s silence was, on this occasion, pointed.
VERSION
V5 · Received 07 April 2025 · 16:03 2 DAYS LATER
OBJECT
Decommissioned LEO communications satellite, 310 kg, 558 × 571 km elliptical, slow tumble (<0.5 rpm)
SERVICE REQUESTED
S-01 Standard Retrieval S-02 Express Retrieval TIER UPGRADED
TIMELINE
Mission to commence within 4 weeks of contract signing Mission to commence within 2 weeks of contract signing SHORTENED AGAIN
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS
Client to be updated every 48 hours 24 hours FREQUENCY DOUBLED.
CHANGE NOTE
Service tier upgraded to S-02 following internal client escalation. Timeline shortened. Update frequency increased.
The S-02 upgrade introduced the express surcharge. The timeline is now 2 weeks. The update frequency is now daily. A. Kowalski looked at the update schedule and then looked at M. Hargreaves. M. Hargreaves said “we’ll manage.”
VERSION
V6 · Received 10 April 2025 · 09:30 3 DAYS LATER
OBJECT
Decommissioned LEO communications satellite, 310 kg, 558 × 571 km elliptical, slow tumble (<0.5 rpm)
SERVICE REQUESTED
S-02 Express Retrieval S-01 Standard Retrieval TIER DOWNGRADED
TIMELINE
Mission to commence within 2 weeks of contract signing Mission to commence within 3 weeks of contract signing EXTENDED SLIGHTLY
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS
Client to be updated every 24 hours 48 hours FREQUENCY HALVED. Client contact changing to [redacted], Deputy Head of Operations. NEW
CHANGE NOTE
Service tier reverted to S-01 following budget review. Timeline relaxed. Surcharge no longer required. Primary contact changing.
The downgrade from S-02 back to S-01 removed the surcharge. The primary contact changed. The new contact sent V7 the following day.
VERSION
V7 · FINAL · LAUNCHED · Received 11 April 2025 · 11:00 MISSION LAUNCHED ON THIS VERSION
OBJECT
Decommissioned LEO communications satellite, 310 kg, 558 × 571 km elliptical, slow tumble (<0.5 rpm)
SERVICE REQUESTED
S-01 Standard Retrieval
TIMELINE
Mission to commence within 3 weeks of contract signing. No hard deadline. CLARIFIED
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS
Client to be updated every 48 hours. Weekly summary preferred by new contact. CLARIFIED
CHANGE NOTE
Timeline clarified — no hard deadline. Update cadence confirmed at 48 hours with weekly summary. No further changes anticipated. New contact has confirmed sign-off authority.
This version was signed, contracted, and launched upon. It is equivalent in most material respects to V1. The object specification from V4 onwards was accurate. V7 is the version that mattered. We launched on V7. V7 was fine.
ORC-V1 “Maud” was deployed on the specification established in V7: 310 kg, slow tumble, 558 × 571 km elliptical. The capture was completed on day 22. The tumble was arrested in 38 minutes using the revised approach sequence P. Patel had developed during V4, which — despite V4 being superseded — contained the correct attitude state and therefore the correct arrest protocol. P. Patel had kept the V4 calculations. P. Patel keeps all calculations. This is a policy ORC has never formally required but has always benefited from.
Re-entry was confirmed on 30 April 2025 over the South Pacific uninhabited zone. The new client contact, who joined on V6, sent a message at the point of re-entry confirmation that read: “Brilliant. Sorry about all the versions.” A. Kowalski replied: [REDACTED].
02 / VERSION CHANGE SUMMARYDOCUMENTED
| V1 → V2 | Mass revised · timeline preference added |
| V2 → V3 | Orbit updated · timeline shortened · update frequency added |
| V3 → V4 | Mass revised again · attitude state updated · timeline preference removed |
| V4 → V5 | Service tier upgraded S-01 → S-02 · timeline shortened · updates doubled |
| V5 → V6 | Service tier reverted S-02 → S-01 · timeline extended · contact changed |
| V6 → V7 | Timeline clarified (no hard deadline) · update cadence confirmed · launched |
| Changes that affected mission planning | Object spec (V4), approach protocol (V4), contact authority (V6) |
| Changes that did not affect mission planning | Everything else. All of it. |
- ORC’s pre-mission brief form has been updated to include a version control field and a “confirmed final” checkbox. The checkbox requires a named signatory. The form cannot be submitted without the checkbox. This was implemented following ORC-2025-077. It has already been used four times. In three cases it identified changes that had not been communicated. We consider this a success.
- P. Patel’s practice of retaining calculations for all brief versions, including superseded ones, has been formally added to ORC’s operational procedures. The procedure does not require this of other staff. Other staff have been encouraged. P. Patel has offered no comment on the formalisation of her existing practice.
- The client has since submitted two further briefs. Both were V1. Both launched on V1. We have noted this with appreciation.
- Dr. Chen’s fourth set of calculations — produced following V5’s S-02 designation, which was itself superseded — were not ultimately used. They were, Dr. Chen noted in his operational log, “correct for that version.” We have filed them under ORC-2025-077 in case they become relevant. We do not expect them to become relevant.
BRIEF POLICY
ORC now operates a confirmed-final brief process. Clients may amend the brief before the confirmed-final submission. After confirmed-final sign-off, changes are accommodated where operationally possible but may affect timeline and cost. This process exists because of this mission. It is named internally. We are not sharing the name.
END OF REPORT · ORC-2025-077 · BRIEF VERSIONS: 7 · LAUNCHED ON: V7 · V7 WAS FINE · CONFIRMED-FINAL PROCESS: IMPLEMENTED