Satellite formation flying is the coordination of multiple

satellites A satellite or artificial satellite is an object intentionally placed into orbit in outer space. Except for passive satellites, most satellites have an electricity generation system for equipment on board, such as solar panels or radioisotop ...

to accomplish the objective of one larger, usually more expensive, satellite. Coordinating smaller satellites has many benefits over single satellites including simpler designs, faster build times, cheaper replacement creating higher redundancy, unprecedented high resolution, and the ability to view research targets from multiple angles or at multiple times. These qualities make them ideal for

astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and evolution. Objects of interest include planets, moons, stars, nebulae, g ...

communication Communication (from la, communicare, meaning "to share" or "to be in relation with") is usually defined as the transmission of information. The term may also refer to the message communicated through such transmissions or the field of inqui ...

meteorology Meteorology is a branch of the atmospheric sciences (which include atmospheric chemistry and physics) with a major focus on weather forecasting. The study of meteorology dates back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did no ...

, and

environmental A biophysical environment is a biotic and abiotic surrounding of an organism or population, and consequently includes the factors that have an influence in their survival, development, and evolution. A biophysical environment can vary in scal ...

uses.

Types of formations

Depending on the application, there are three formations possible: trailing, cluster, and

constellation A constellation is an area on the celestial sphere in which a group of visible stars forms a perceived pattern or outline, typically representing an animal, mythological subject, or inanimate object. The origins of the earliest constellation ...

. * Trailing formations are formed by multiple satellites orbiting on the same path. Each one follows the previous one separated by a specific time interval to either view a target at different times, or obtain varied viewing angles of the target. Trailing satellites are especially suited for meteorological and environmental applications such as viewing the progress of a fire, cloud formations, and making 3D views of hurricanes. Notable pairs are GRACE and GRACE-Follow On satellites,

Landsat 7 Landsat 7 is the seventh satellite of the Landsat program. Launched on 15 April 1999, Landsat 7's primary goal is to refresh the global archive of satellite photos, providing up-to-date and cloud-free images. The Landsat program is managed a ...

with

EO-1 Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) is a decommissioned NASA Earth observation satellite created to develop and validate a number of instrument and spacecraft bus breakthrough technologies. It was intended to enable the development of future Earth imaging o ...

, the "

A-train is a series of business simulation video games developed and published by Japanese game developer Artdink in Japan. The first game in the series was published in 1985. The first release in the United States was ''Take the A-Train II'', published ...

" consisting of

CALIPSO CALIPSO is a joint NASA (USA) and CNES (France) environmental satellite, built in the Cannes Mandelieu Space Center, which was launched atop a Delta II rocket on April 28, 2006. Its name stands for Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Sat ...

and

CloudSat CloudSat is a NASA Earth observation satellite, which was launched on a Delta II rocket on April 28, 2006. It uses radar to measure the altitude and properties of clouds, adding to information on the relationship between clouds and climate in ord ...

(among others), and

Terra Terra may often refer to: * Terra (mythology), primeval Roman goddess * An alternate name for planet Earth, as well as the Latin name for the planet Terra may also refer to: Geography Astronomy * Terra (satellite), a multi-national NASA scienti ...

with Aqua. * Cluster formations are formed by satellites in a dense (relatively tightly spaced) arrangement, such as

twin satellites Twins are two offspring produced by the same pregnancy.MedicineNet > Definition of TwinLast Editorial Review: 19 June 2000 Twins can be either ''monozygotic'' ('identical'), meaning that they develop from one zygote, which splits and forms two em ...

. These arrangements are best for high resolution

interferometry Interferometry is a technique which uses the '' interference'' of superimposed waves to extract information. Interferometry typically uses electromagnetic waves and is an important investigative technique in the fields of astronomy, fiber o ...

and making maps of Earth.

TechSat-21 TechSat-21 (Technology Satellite of the 21st Century) was a small spacecraft developed by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is a scientific research organization operated by the United States Air ...

was a suggested satellite model capable of operating in clusters. * Constellation formations (''

satellite constellation A satellite constellation is a group of artificial satellites working together as a system. Unlike a single satellite, a constellation can provide permanent global or near-global coverage, such that at any time everywhere on Earth at least one s ...

s'') can be considered to be a number of satellites with coordinated ground coverage, operating together under shared control, synchronised so that they overlap well in coverage and complement rather than interfere with other satellites' important coverage Usually, these formations are made up of numerous small satellites. A micro satellite weighs under 100 kg and a nano satellite weighs under 10kg. Magnetosheric Constellation, for instance, would be composed of 100 micro satellites.(se

) This technology has become more viable thanks to the development of autonomous flying. With an onboard computer and this algorithm, satellites may autonomously position themselves into a formation. Previously, Mission Control Center, ground control would have to adjust each satellite to maintain formations. Now, satellites may arrive at and maintain formations with faster response time and have the ability to change the formation for varied resolution of observations. Also, satellites may be launched from different spacecraft and rendezvous on a particular path. This advance was made possible by Dave Folta, John Bristow, and Dave Quinn at

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeedin ...

’s

Goddard Space Flight Center The Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) is a major NASA space research laboratory located approximately northeast of Washington, D.C. in Greenbelt, Maryland, United States. Established on May 1, 1959 as NASA's first space flight center, GSFC empl ...

(GSFC).

References

External links

BNSC "Formation Flying"

Cranfield School of Engineering – Space Research Center
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Satellites flying in formation over Asia Satellites Earth observation satellites

Types of formations

See also

References

External links