Relative Control of a Virtual Telescope Using Global Positioning System and Optical Metrology

摘要

THE benefits of satellite formation flying (FF), whereby annumber of individual spacecraft can operate cooperatively tondefine a single mission, have been widely discussed throughout thenspace engineering literature [1]. Some of the remarkable advantagesnthat FF offers over single monolithic satellites are baseline reconfig-nuration and redundancy,which together can enhance scientific returnnand lessen the impact of possible technical failure. In most FFnmissions [1,2] the trajectories of the satellites are defined by naturalnorbits and are optimized for long-term stability and controlnminimization. However, the applications roadmap of FF missionsnalso demands for nonnatural, relative trajectories. This is the case ofnthe third Project-for-Onboard-Autonomy (PROBA-3) mission [3],nwhich is part of the In-Orbit Technology Demonstration Program ofnthe European Space Agency.