Mission Control:
Emergency Retrieval
A fully compliant orbital debris retrieval simulation. Regulatory interruptions are mandatory. Fuel is managed through petty cash. OCELOT is offline. Six missions are available. You will not be told which one you are on. Proceed when ready.
EMERGENCY RETRIEVAL
Regulatory interruptions will occur. They are mandatory. This is not optional. L. Sandhu has confirmed this in writing.
Available missions
Six missions are available in the simulation. Mission selection occurs at the start screen. Each mission is based on an actual ORC operational scenario. P. Patel has confirmed this. P. Patel has also noted that the simulation is “simplified but directionally correct.” C. Morrison will file a report regardless of which mission you complete.
Standard Retrieval
Single object. Stable orbit. Standard approach corridor registered. Three to five regulatory interruptions expected. This is the one P. Patel describes as “the straightforward one.” It is not straightforward.
Express Retrieval
The client has called more than twice. Timeline accelerated. Fuel reserves reduced to reflect the expedited launch window. Seven regulatory interruptions minimum. The ORS does not expedite. L. Sandhu has confirmed this.
Bulk Clearance
Multiple objects. One invoice. The client does not know how many objects there are. ORC knows. ORC has counted. ORC is not telling the client until the report is filed. C. Morrison is already drafting it.
Sector Dispute
A rival operator is present in the approach corridor. L. Sandhu is aware. L. Sandhu has submitted a formal sector agreement complaint to the ORS. The ORS has acknowledged receipt. ORC is proceeding on the basis that the sector is ours. It is.
MEO Retrieval
Medium Earth Orbit. Fuel budget is 78% and Finance has already submitted a formal query. P. Patel’s plan is version 9. The inclination change alone is significant. Finance has been sent the delta-V calculation. Finance has said they will look at it.
Classification-Pending Object
The object’s classification status is pending. Approach is technically permitted under the training simulation. In real operations it would not be. L. Sandhu has confirmed this distinction is important. This note was L. Sandhu’s idea.
Controls reference
| Input | Action | Note |
|---|---|---|
| ↑ / W | Thrust forward | Fuel is consumed. Finance is watching. |
| ↓ / S | Reverse thrust | Also consumes fuel. Finance is still watching. |
| ← / A | Turn left | Rotational only. No fuel cost. |
| → / D | Turn right | Rotational only. No fuel cost. |
| Fly over | Collect debris | Must be designated target to score. Others are distractions. |
| Return base | Complete mission | Only valid after target is retrieved. The base is the large object. |
| Interruption | Stop everything | Mandatory. Cannot be dismissed quickly. L. Sandhu designed this. |
How performance is assessed
| Factor | Weight | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Objects retrieved | Primary | Retrieving the designated target is the mission objective. All other collection is incidental. |
| Fuel remaining | Significant | Fuel is tracked as a percentage of petty cash allocation. Finance notes anything above 75%. |
| Mission duration | Moderate | P. Patel’s plan has a notional window. Exceeding it adds a note to C. Morrison’s report. |
| Regulatory compliance | Mandatory | Interruptions are coded in. Compliance is automatic. Non-compliance is not possible. L. Sandhu confirmed this. |
| Client rating | Variable | Generated at mission end. Clients rate 1–5 stars. Some clients cannot explain their rating. ORC has also noted this. |
Regulatory interruption minigames
When a regulatory interruption occurs during a mission, operations must stop. The interruption takes one of three forms. All three are based on actual ORC regulatory procedures. L. Sandhu designed all three. L. Sandhu has said they are “an accurate representation of the administrative burden.”
Form Matching
Match the correct crew member to the correct regulatory form. Forms include ORC-017C (approach corridor), ORC-088 (outstanding since 2019), and several that T. Davies is currently looking for. Matching the wrong crew member resets the form. L. Sandhu has said this is realistic.
Approval Chain
Route the approval through all five signatories in the correct order. The order is: T. Davies → P. Patel → L. Sandhu → M. Hargreaves → C. Morrison. An error resets the chain. L. Sandhu has a laminated diagram. The simulation also has it.
Redaction Exercise
Identify and redact sensitive operational data from a document before it can be transmitted. This is a real ORC procedure. L. Sandhu introduced it following an incident in 2022. The incident is in the incident register. It is referenced in the incident register. That is all that can be said about it here.
Simulation notes
This simulation is based on actual ORC mission parameters. Interruptions reflect real operational conditions. Fuel allocations are calibrated to P. Patel’s planning model. The orbital mechanics are simplified but directionally correct.
The debris field is procedurally generated but draws from the SSN public catalog for object classifications. All debris types represented in the simulation are real categories. The simulation does not use real orbital positions. The debris would not be in those positions. Space is large.
ORC-V2 “Reg” is the simulation vehicle. Reg’s fuel capacity is 3,800L. The simulation uses a percentage model as the exact litre cost per manoeuvre is commercially sensitive. Finance has asked for the exact figures. P. Patel has redirected Finance to the training module. This is the training module.
What this module does not cover
GEO operations
GEO retrieval requires a minimum 6-month planning window. A real-time simulation of GEO operations would take six months. We have not built a six-month simulation. Module 7 covers LEO and MEO. GEO is covered in Module 1, Section 4.2, by reference only.
The 2017 object
The 2017 object is classification-pending. Approach is prohibited in real operations. Mission ORC-2025-006 in the simulation involves a classification-pending object for training purposes only. This does not apply to the 2017 object. L. Sandhu has specifically asked that this be stated here. It is stated here.
OCELOT integration
The simulation would normally interface with OCELOT for mission registration and regulatory submission. OCELOT is offline. The HUD’s OCELOT status indicator reflects actual status. It is not decorative. T. Davies has noted this.