Close Spacecraft Formation Keeping
Abstract
The University of Missouri-Rolla recently initiated a project to design and build a pair of tethered satellites. This project is designated as the MR SAT Project (Missouri-Rolla Satellite), and is composed of two spacecraft linked to each other with a ten-meter long tether. the two main mission objectives are to experiment with the use of tethers to fly satellites in formation and to establish a wireless communication network between the two satellites based on low-cost technologies. the final phase of the mission will consist of releasing the tether and then attempting to maintain the ten-meter separation by using onboard propulsion systems. This paper describes a comparison of different possible designs of the active control system used to maintain the formation. Copyright © 2004 by the American Astronautical Society.
Recommended Citation
P. Vignal and H. J. Pernicka, "Close Spacecraft Formation Keeping," Advances in the Astronautical Sciences, vol. 119, no. SUPPL., pp. 3109 - 3126, article no. AAS 04-296, Univelt, Inc., Aug 2005.
Department(s)
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
0065-3438
Document Type
Article - Conference proceedings
Document Version
Citation
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2024 Univelt Inc., All rights reserved.
Publication Date
26 Aug 2005
