Future space missions are being developed that will focus on multi-spacecraft distributed systems. Clusters of satellites flying in close proximity can decrease mission costs and increase performance, reliability, adaptability and survivability of space missions. Such missions require a degree of autonomy usually achieved through automatic control systems.

 Much of current work in formation flying control has focused on control optimization to execute prescribed maneuvers within fixed constraints such as minimum time or fuel. On the other hand, decentralized control algorithms have received considerable attention in the past few years. People in distributed space system lab are working on development of new state of the art control algorithms for decentralized and centralized control of distributed space systems using classical and modern techniques.

What is a distributed space system?

A distributed space system is  a collection of physically separated spacecraft whose states are coordinated to achieve a local or global objective. Multiple spacecraft formation flying is one of the prime examples of such distributed systems.  Well known examples of formations in nature are fish swimming in a school or birds flying in a V.  Humans move in formations too- whether we are marching in a parade or dancing in a group.

Why study distributed space systems?

Recently, these self-coordinating distributed systems have been identified as the enabling technology for many the future NASA, Air Force, Navy, and civilian space missions.  By altering the configuration of these distributed systems, a wider variety of missions can be accomplished  as compared with  the equivalent single, large, and often highly flexible,  space structure.  As compared with its monolithic  counterpart, the distributed spacecraft architecture also promises a significant cost reduction in design, manufacturing, and launching of future space systems. 

Project objectives

One of the key technical challenges in the design of space systems  has traditionally been in the control of large flexible structures.  The distributed spacecraft approach shifts this complexity to problems in planning, coordination, inter-spacecraft communication and sensing, and multiple spacecraft control.  The objectives of this project are to: (1) develop a hybrid control design methodology, which captures the interaction between inter-spacecraft communication and sensing on the one hand, and the admissible distributed spacecraft control strategies on the other,  and (2) develop autonomous maneuver planning and control for distributed space systems.