The concept of formation flight, where multiple spacecraft fly in close proximity while maintaining specific geometric configurations, holds great potential for enhancing the capabilities and efficiency of CubeSat missions. This proposal aims to investigate and develop techniques for enabling the formation flight of CubeSats to achieve various scientific, commercial, and exploration objectives.
Objectives:
- Review existing research on formation flight concepts and their applications in space missions.
- Investigate the feasibility and challenges associated with CubeSat formation flight, including dynamics, control algorithms, communication, and mission planning.
- Develop innovative strategies and algorithms for autonomous formation control and coordination among CubeSats.
- Explore potential mission scenarios and applications enabled by CubeSat formation flight, such as Earth observation, space weather monitoring, multi-point measurements, and distributed sensing.
- Evaluate the performance, scalability, and robustness of proposed techniques through simulations and, if feasible, experimental validation using CubeSat hardware-in-the-loop testing or ground-based simulations.
- Provide recommendations and guidelines for the design, implementation, and operation of CubeSat formation flight missions.
Expected Outcomes:
- Enhanced understanding of the feasibility, challenges, and opportunities associated with CubeSat formation flight.
- Development of novel algorithms and strategies for autonomous formation control and coordination among CubeSats.
- Identification of potential mission scenarios and applications enabled by CubeSat formation flight.
- Evaluation of the performance and scalability of proposed techniques through simulations and experimental validation.
- Scientific publications in world-leading conferences in the fields of robotics, aerospace, space, aviation etc.
Contact:
A/Prof. Luis Mejias
Queensland University of Technology
Aerospace Autonomy Group
QUT Centre for Robotics
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