CubeSat based Rendezvous, Proximity Operations, and Docking in the CPOD Mission
نویسندگان
چکیده
The CubeSat Proximity Operations Demonstration (CPOD) mission led by Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems leverages several formation flying techniques to enable rendezvous, proximity operations, and docking with two identical 3U CubeSats. Tyvak developed a unique relative navigation payload that includes delta GPS, inter-satellite link with radio ranging, two infrared imagers, and two visible imagers. A cold gas propulsion system is integrated into the vehicle for translational maneuvers. A high performance attitude determination and control system was developed to enable maneuvering and relative pointing. While cost was kept low with the use of commercial off the shelf components and selective redundancy, the integration of new rendezvous and docking components necessitated a significant investment in testing and integrated system performance verification. Approach trajectories remain passively safe through the use of “walking safety ellipses” that include radial and cross track orbital offsets. This paper presents the challenges of rendezvous, proximity operation, and docking for CubeSat vehicles, lessons learned from the CPOD mission, and an update on CPOD mission status.
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