In this work, we propose an approach to formation estimation that is based on local estimators for multiple spacecraft systems. In this avenue, we proceed to relax some of the assumptions in the existing research literature pertaining to feasible estimation architectures for formation flying. Specifically, we show that formation estimation objectives can be achieved by a local information-exchange network among the space-craft, adding a level of modularity and scalability to the general problem of estimation over networks. Our approach relies on breaking up the overall network into a sequence of local subnetworks, and subsequently, invoking an agreement-type algorithm that facilitates reaching consensus on the various local estimates ob-tained by each local subnetsOrk in an optimal manner. Moreover, we show how some of the properties of the local observers remain intact as we include measurement noise in each subnetwork. The paper concludes with a comparison between the performance of the proposed distributed formation estimator for multiple spacecraft systems and the corresponding centralized estimator via a few examples.
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