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/