Session
Constellations
Location
Salt Palace Convention Center, Salt Lake City, UT
Abstract
The increasing deployment of small satellite constellations is driving a transition from isolated spacecraft missions toward distributed and coordinated space operations. However, as constellation size and mission complexity grow, traditional ground-centric operational approaches become difficult to scale due to communication limitations, delayed decision-making, and increased operational workload. While autonomy has been widely explored through onboard algorithms and artificial intelligence techniques, there remains limited focus on how autonomy should be integrated into the systems engineering architecture of constellation missions. This paper presents a Design Mechanism Framework (DMF) for autonomous small satellite constellations that embeds autonomy directly into mission architecture, operational logic, and inter-satellite coordination. The framework introduces five integrated layers: mission awareness, state awareness, decision logic, coordination management, and execution control. Together, these layers enable distributed constellation behavior with reduced reliance on continuous ground intervention. The proposed framework is evaluated through representative constellation scenarios involving sustained line-of-sight maintenance, adaptive coordination, and disturbance recovery under CubeSat-class operational constraints. Simulations are performed to compare conventional ground-driven operations with the proposed autonomous architecture using metrics including coordination continuity, operational resilience, recovery response, and scalability. Results demonstrate that autonomy implemented at the constellation design level can significantly improve operational continuity while reducing coordination burden on the ground segment. The framework provides mission designers and systems engineers with a structured pathway for integrating autonomous operational behavior into future small satellite constellation missions suitable for scalable NewSpace applications.
Document Type
Event
Design Mechanism Framework for Autonomous Small Satellite Constellations – A NewSpace Outlook
Salt Palace Convention Center, Salt Lake City, UT
The increasing deployment of small satellite constellations is driving a transition from isolated spacecraft missions toward distributed and coordinated space operations. However, as constellation size and mission complexity grow, traditional ground-centric operational approaches become difficult to scale due to communication limitations, delayed decision-making, and increased operational workload. While autonomy has been widely explored through onboard algorithms and artificial intelligence techniques, there remains limited focus on how autonomy should be integrated into the systems engineering architecture of constellation missions. This paper presents a Design Mechanism Framework (DMF) for autonomous small satellite constellations that embeds autonomy directly into mission architecture, operational logic, and inter-satellite coordination. The framework introduces five integrated layers: mission awareness, state awareness, decision logic, coordination management, and execution control. Together, these layers enable distributed constellation behavior with reduced reliance on continuous ground intervention. The proposed framework is evaluated through representative constellation scenarios involving sustained line-of-sight maintenance, adaptive coordination, and disturbance recovery under CubeSat-class operational constraints. Simulations are performed to compare conventional ground-driven operations with the proposed autonomous architecture using metrics including coordination continuity, operational resilience, recovery response, and scalability. Results demonstrate that autonomy implemented at the constellation design level can significantly improve operational continuity while reducing coordination burden on the ground segment. The framework provides mission designers and systems engineers with a structured pathway for integrating autonomous operational behavior into future small satellite constellation missions suitable for scalable NewSpace applications.
