The modular design of a fractionated spacecraft is intended to avoid drawbacks inherent to monolithic designs such as subsystem failure, expensive designs, underestimated costs, expensive launches and over-complex systems. Since the power systems represent one of the main mass and volume drivers of spacecraft, one of the key technologies required for truly fractionated architectures is the abil...

The problem of determining minimum-fuel maneuver sequences for a four-spacecraft formation is considered. The objective of this paper is to find fuel-optimal spacecraft trajectories that transfer four spacecraft from an initial parking orbit to a desired terminal reference orbit while satisfying a set of constraints on the formation at the terminal time. Trajectories involving both one and two ...

The ion engine operations on Applied Technology Satellite 6 (ATS-6) altered the charge state of the spacecraft, changing the spacecraft surface potentials with respect to the distant plasmas. Plasma emission in quiet environments (plasma temperatures below a keV) caused the spacecraft potential to shift from a few volts positive to a few volts negative. A net ion current is emitted in such case...

The design of a spacecraft-monitoring system based on a Neyman–Pearson detection criterion is discussed. Each noncatastrophic state of the spacecraft is indicated by the transmission of a specific signal to the ground station. Complete failure of the spacecraft is indicated by the transmission of no signal. The set of signals chosen to represent the spacecraft states consists of a group of orth...

The electrification of spacecraft could significantly extend the useful life billion-dollar missions in outer space.