Formation flying

摘要

Carefully choreographed groups of satellites could one day shed light on the deepest reaches of space. Ellie Zolfagharifard reports In June 2010, two satellites, Mango and Tango, were launched fromYasny Russia, by the Swedish Space Corporation. Their mission: to undertake the dangerous act of flying in close formation — a task so difficult that a slight drift could damage one or both satellites, scattering billions of pounds' worth of technology across space. The satellites, jointly developed by German, French and Danish engineers, were part of the PRISMA project, one of a growing number of initiatives looking at the development of formation-flying satellites. It's an area with a unique set of challenges, explained Luis Gomes, head of Earth observation at Surrey Satellite Technology (SSTL), which is also investigating formation flying. 'When we get these very close formations, tens of metres away, implementing control can be a major problem,' he said. 'Satellites flying in this way are extremely sensitive. You need very low thrust power and precise sensors. It's almost like having a 200kg spacecraft that you move by blowing on it to gently nudge it in a certain direction.'