SPHERES: a Laboratory for Formation Flight and Docking Research

The MIT Space Systems Laboratory is developing the SPHERES formation flight testbed to provide multiple investigators with a long term, replenishable, and upgradable testbed for the validation of high risk metrology, control, and autonomy technologies. These core technologies enable distributed satellite and docking missions such as TechSat21, Starlight, Terrestrial Planet Finder, and Orbital Express. The laboratory provides a risk-tolerant and costeffective environment that facilitates the design process and reduces the development costs of unproven technologies. The testbed operates in 2-D on a laboratory platform and in 3-D on NASA’s KC-135 microgravity aeroplane and inside the International Space Station.