Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. 24/7 Space News .




CONSTELLATIONS
Satellite 'formation flying' simulated
by Staff Writers
Paris (UPI) Sep 9, 2010


disclaimer: image is for illustration purposes only

Scientists getting ready for planned multi-satellite missions are getting in some "practice" thanks to sophisticated simulators, European space officials said.

Several space agencies are preparing formation-flying missions involving numbers of satellites, the European Space Agency said Thursday.

The relative positions of the satellites must be maintained precisely. Lose control of one part of the formation, even momentarily, and the satellites risk destruction.

This will take some difficult formation flying, and a new computing resource should help achieve that.

The Formation Flying Test Bed is a suite of software running across linked computers to simulate all aspects of a formation-flying mission, the ESA said.

At the agency's space research and technology center in the Netherlands, this new facility can emulate the running of more than a single satellite at once.

"It is a generic simulator for formation-flying missions, whether they include two spacecraft or as many as five or six," ESA's Raffaella Franco said.

The test bed simulates crucial operational factors for formation flying including mission and vehicle management, guidance navigation, dealing with faults and communicating between satellites.

In ESA's first formation flying mission, due for launch in 2014-15, Proba-3's two satellites will form the first "external coronagraph" in orbit, with one satellite maintaining an artificial eclipse of the sun as seen from the other so that hidden details of the solar corona can be seen.

.


Related Links
Satellite Constellation - multiple satellite deployments in LEO and Beyond






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle








CONSTELLATIONS
Thuraya And Teknikkom Distribute Satellite Handheld Phones In Malaysia
Abu Dhabi, UAE (SPX) Jun 22, 2009
As part of rolling out its cutting edge services and products in the Asia Pacific region, Thuraya has appointed Teknikkom Electronic as a National Service Provider in Malaysia. According to the agreement, Teknikkom will be distributing Thuraya's world best satellite phones, allowing the Malaysian market to enjoy the availability of satellite mobile handhelds as a complementary solution to ... read more


CONSTELLATIONS
Russia To Test Unmanned Lander For Mars Moon Mission

China preps next lunar space mission

Chandrayaan-2 Will Try Out New Ideas And Technologies

China Publishes Official Chinese Names For Places On The Moon

CONSTELLATIONS
Russia to test Mars lander for 2011 flight

How Microbes Could Help Colonize Mars

Mars rover halfway to next destination

NASA Data Shed New Light About Water And Volcanoes On Mars

CONSTELLATIONS
Goddard Scientists Explore Desert RATS

NASA Loves A Good Challenge - Not Business As Usual

ATHLETE Rover Steps Up To Long Desert Trek

Desert RATS 2010

CONSTELLATIONS
China's Second Lunar Probe Chang'e-2 To Reach Lunar Orbit Faster Than Chang'e-1

China Finishes Construction Of First Unmanned Space Module

China Contributes To Space-Based Information Access A Lot

China Sends Research Satellite Into Space

CONSTELLATIONS
NASA Opens Space Station For Biological Research From NIH Grants

Russian cargo vessel docks at International Space Station

ISS Crew Prepares For Cargo Craft

Module To Get A Home In Space

CONSTELLATIONS
EUMETSAT Chooses Arianespace To Launch Metop-C

Falcon 1e Launch Capabilities Brought To The European Institutional Market

Vega Launcher Production Contracts Signed By ESA, Arianespace And ELV

Russia Sends Three Satellites Into Space

CONSTELLATIONS
Scientists looking to spot alien oceans

Deadly Tides Mean Early Exit For Hot Jupiters

Can We Spot Volcanoes On Alien Worlds

Chemical basis for first life theorized

CONSTELLATIONS
7,500 Germans rally for greater data privacy

Taiwan turns plastic junk to 'green' gold

Astrium And Avanti Communications Launch Military And Government Ka-Band Test-Bed

Simulating The Formation-Flying Future Of Space




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement