Comparing Crisp and Fuzzy DEA Approaches for The Launch Vehicle Selection Problem of A Communication Satellite Operator

Abstract

In space industry, launch vehicle selection for a satellite is a critical managerial and technical decision making problem. Depending on the selected launch vehicle, launch cost can vary from 20 % to 50 % of the total cost of a communication satellite that cost million dollars. The aim of this paper is to analyze several launch vehicle alternatives to boost a geostationary communication satellite into desired orbit under a Multi Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) scheme. For this purpose, variants of crisp and fuzzy Data Envelopment Analysis are utilized as a MCDM tool. In order to evaluate launch vehicle alternatives a criteria hierarchy, which is established by the experts working in communication sector, is used. The outcomes of the crisp and fuzzy DEA methods are compared with each other. As a result of the comparison it is observed that DEA variants ranked the alternatives differently but the launch vehicle Alternative 1 is mostly ranked first.

Keywords

• Fuzzy Data Envelopment Analysis
• Launch Vehicle Selection
• Multi Criteria Decision Making
• Space Business