Formation Flying Orbit and Control Concept for Virtual Super Optics Reconfigurable Swarm Mission

Abstract

The Virtual Super Optics Reconfigurable Swarm (VISORS) mission is a distributed telescope consisting of two 6U CubeSats separated by 40 m that will obtain high-resolution images of active solar regions in the extreme ultraviolet spectrum. This mission is challenging because the CubeSats must autonomously control their relative motion with unprecedented accuracy while operating in close proximity. This paper presents three contributions that enable the VISORS mission to meet its challenging requirements. First, passively safe absolute and relative orbit designs for distributed telescopes that provide regular periods of alignment with inertial targets are developed using relative eccentricity/inclination vector separation. Second, a guidance, navigation, and control system design is proposed to meet the demanding relative motion control requirements. Third, a concept of operations is proposed that minimizes mission operations load when the formation is not actively performing observations. This concept of operations includes a safety plan to address on-orbit anomalies. The performance of the guidance, navigation, and control system is validated through Monte Carlo simulations including all significant error sources and operational constraints. These simulations show that the mission requirements are met with margin, providing a preliminary demonstration of the feasibility of accurate autonomous formation control with CubeSats.