Session
Technical Session X: The Year in Review
Abstract
The Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission was composed of twin spacecraft tasked with precisely mapping the gravitational field of Earth’s Moon. GRAIL science collection required that the two spacecraft operate in the same orbit plane and with precise relative separation and pointing, which evolved through the primary and extended mission Science phases. Because of the relatively small size of the GRAIL spacecraft compared to other exploration missions, and the implementation of formation flight operations, lessons learned from this mission are applicable to future small-satellite missions. A description of the formation flight approach that was implemented on the GRAIL spacecraft will be accompanied by a presentation of flight results and discussion of small-satellite applications.
Presentation Slides
NASA’s GRAIL Spacecraft Formation Flight, End of Mission Results, and Small-Satellite Applications
The Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission was composed of twin spacecraft tasked with precisely mapping the gravitational field of Earth’s Moon. GRAIL science collection required that the two spacecraft operate in the same orbit plane and with precise relative separation and pointing, which evolved through the primary and extended mission Science phases. Because of the relatively small size of the GRAIL spacecraft compared to other exploration missions, and the implementation of formation flight operations, lessons learned from this mission are applicable to future small-satellite missions. A description of the formation flight approach that was implemented on the GRAIL spacecraft will be accompanied by a presentation of flight results and discussion of small-satellite applications.
