Spacecraft formation flying control design for the orion mission

Formation flying of multiple spacecraft is an enabling technology for many future space science missions. However, the coordination and control of such instruments present many design challenges. This paper addresses the formation flying spacecraft control problem at several levels. We present low-level, multi-vehicle, station keeping algorithms and a control architecture to keep the vehicles aligned in formation. We also present a high-level fleet planner that creates trajectories (e. g: to re-size or re-target the formation) and takes into account the limited fuel onboard each vehicle. A coordinator is introduced at the highest-level to ensure that vehicle resources are expended equally within the fleet. Algorithms are discussed for each level, with simulations to compare performance. The simulation results are then verified on a formation flying testbed. The control design is then discussed with a perspective on the upcoming Orion mission.