Spacecraft Formation Flying

Chapter 1

Introduction

Publisher Summary

This chapter discusses some of the fundamental questions, issues, and approaches related to spacecraft formation flying. The chapter also details different coordination approaches for spacecraft formation flying. The orbit tracking approach is used in formations where each satellite in the formation is controlled to a particular predetermined desired orbit. This approach is attractive from the perspective of allowing little or no cooperation or coordination between the spacecraft. In leader–follower coordination approach in spacecraft formation flying, one leader spacecraft is controlled to a reference orbit, and the other follower spacecraft in the formation control their relative states to that leader. ...