Experimental Study for Synthetic Aperture Telescope Using Formation Flying Micro-Satellites for High-Frequency and High-Resolution GEO Remote Sensing

Experimental Study for Synthetic Aperture Telescope Using Formation Flying Micro-Satellites for High-Frequency and High-Resolution GEO Remote Sensing

Utah State University, Logan, UT

Earth remote sensing from geostationary orbit (GEO) realizes high time resolution that is essential for disaster monitoring; however, the spatial resolution is commonly worse than observation from low Earth orbit. In order to achieve high-resolution and high-frequency GEO remote sensing, we have proposed a “Formation Flying Synthetic Aperture Telescope (FFSAT)” with multiple micro-satellites. The FFSAT can improve the spatial resolution by using the technique of a synthetic aperture, and therefore the relative positions and attitudes between the optical units of each satellite must be controlled with an accuracy better than 1/10 of the observation wavelength. In order to verify feasibility of such highly accurate control, the characteristics of sensors and actuators which are essential for an ultra-high-accuracy formation flying were numerically modeled. We consider control laws for keeping the relative position and attitude of the μm-class formation flying using the high-precision simulator built on the numerical models. In addition, the cooperative control of the piezo stages and the thrusters is studied to reduce the fuel consumption of the FFSAT system. The simulation results made the FFSAT mission more feasible.