There is an increasing desire in many organizations, including NASA and the U.S. Department of Defense, to use constellations or fleets of autonomous spacecraft working together to accomplish complex mission objectives. The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) has initiated the TechSat-21 program to serve as a proof of concept mission for a new for space mission paradigm. This paradigm seeks to reduce costs and increase system robustness and maintainability by distributing functionality over several micro-satellites flying in formation. The distributed functionality includes processing, command and control, communications, and payload functions. A chief objective is for the system of micro-satellites to in effect function as a 'virtual' satellite, which can be controlled and tasked as if it were a single satellite.


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    Title :

    TechSat-21 Autonomous Sciencecraft Experiment


    Contributors:
    S. Chien (author) / R. Sherwood (author) / R. Doyle (author)

    Publication date :

    2003


    Size :

    14 pages


    Type of media :

    Report


    Type of material :

    No indication


    Language :

    English




    TechSat-21 Autonomous Sciencecraft Experiment

    S. Chien / R. Sherwood / R. Doyle | NTIS | 2003


    The Techsat-21 autonomous sciencecraft experiment

    Doyle, R. / Sherwood, R. / Chien, S. | NTRS | 2002


    The Techsat-21 autonomous sciencecraft constellation

    Sherwood, R. L. / Chien, S. | NTRS | 2001


    The Techsat-21 Autonomous Sciencecraft Constellation demonstration

    Chien, S. / Sherwood, R. / Burl, M. et al. | NTRS | 2001


    The Techsat-21 autonomous sciencecraft constellation

    Chien, S. / Sherwod, R. / Burl, M. et al. | NTRS | 2001