Realization of Pattern Formation For Micro-satellite Swarms Without a Centralized Coordination

Abstract

The new era of commercializing space missions introduced a new mindset and mission design paradigms of multi-satellite missions. This is trending in different satellite industry applications such as Earth observation and satellite communication as it is simple, cheap and increases the system robustness. Multi-satellite missions introduced different lines of development like constellations, trail formation and swarm formations to fit different type of missions requirements. Inspired by the Space Ultra-Low Frequency Radio Observatory (SULFRO) project, based on the concept of a constellation of a micro-satellite mothership and 12 nano-satellite daughters, designed for sky observation and space discovery, in this paper, we propose a model of decentralized swarm formation without using a centralized coordination. The proposed method is based on the assumption that micro-satellite share relative position of the formation and communicate through high speed inter-satellite link. Assuming a 2D space for the micro-satellite formation and deployment, the proposed methodology succeeded to deploy the 12 micro-satellites in their targeted formation. The proposed methodology consists of three states that are: Formation Tracking, Movement Control and Collision Avoidance. These three states contributed in the success of the methodology by ensuring that the micro-satellite share the positions and track the new formation needed to ensure the stability and safety of the micro-satellite swarm. The paper also investigated the power consumption of the system and the system stability. The proposed methodology is simulated in three different validation scenarios and successfully achieved the required formation.