Smart Escort Satellite: A Modular Solution for On-Orbit Rendezvous and Inspection

摘要

The initial task was to examine a broad scope of missions in order to later establish a requirements set for SCOUT. From there, a single mission was selected to serve as an example of SCOUT's capabilities, and a detailed mission concept for it was developed. Investigating these potential SCOUT missions included assessing what is realistically and technically achievable, and investigating the corresponding orbits, launch vehicles, and encounter scenarios. The various missions were listed out and prioritized based on DARPA's expressed interest in each and the feasibility of each. The mission considered to be maximally useful and achievable was to have SCOUT equipped with the ESCORT payload, monitoring a primary spacecraft in geosynchronous orbit. The ESCORT package contains the AeroAstro RF Probe instrument for monitoring RF emanations; a COTS visible camera and a COTS laser range finder.