In the recent two decades, small satellite technologies have experienced explosive progress, which provides possibilities of constructing distributed space systems (DSS) in orbit. These systems consist of not only the relatively conventional satellite (mega-)constellations and formations, but also mega-infrastructure based on DSS technologies, for example, a huge telescope by on-orbit assembling many small modules. In this talk, we will discuss the generic technologies and three research questions of DSS:
- How to develop DSS in an efficient way for the future needs of our society?
- How to achieve a reliable wireless information exchange within the DSS?
- How to maintain cluster flight of DSS with the least ground operation?
The talk is composed of two major parts. Part I provides an overview of the space activities within TU Delft, with a focus on small satellites. In Part II, we will present TU Delft’s work for answering the three research questions. Based on these discussions, we will provide our perspectives on the future of DSS.
Dr Jian Guo received his BSc, MSc from Northwestern Polytechnical University (NWPU) in China and PhD from the University of Leeds in England, respectively. He is now the Theme Leader of Distributed Space Systems in TU Delft Space Institute (The Netherlands), and a tenured faculty member in the Department of Space Engineering, TU Delft . He is also the co-chair of the Small Satellite Missions Committee of International Academy of Astronautics (IAA), a member of the Technical Committee of ESA/CNES 4S Symposium, etc. He has made direct contributions to numerous international small satellite missions including Tsinghua, Aoxiang (NWPU) and Delfi (TU Delft) satellites. His research interest includes Spacecraft Guidance, Navigation & Control (GNC) / Autonomy and their applications on distributed space systems, including formation flying, on-orbit servicing and space debris removal.