Networked Control of Cooperating Distributed Pico-Satellites

In spacecraft engineering a paradigm shift is emerging with the tendency from traditional, single, large, and multifunctional satellites towards cooperating, distributed small spacecraft systems. In particular modern miniaturization techniques allow realization of satellites with continuously smaller masses, and thus enable cost-efficient implementation and launch of distributed multi-satellite systems. This raises challenges in control approaches at each individual spacecraft by required compensation of limitations and of increasing noise effects due to miniaturization of the satellite components. The higher noise susceptibility is to be counterbalanced by filtering and robust control approaches on-board. At the level of formation control, innovative orbit control approaches for multi-satellite networks based on relative position and attitude control of each satellite are to be developed. This contribution addresses related technology approaches, which have been tested with UWE-satellites in orbit, and reports about the obtained performance results.