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Completed TRL 5 (started at 4, targeting 5)
Advance to TRL 5 an optical sensing system that provides relative position sensing for formation flying spacecraft with longitudinal resolution of ~1mm and transverse ~100 microns; Investigate feasibility of using a single laser ranger system reflected off a 3D target to provide sensing of all six degrees of freedom in relative position.
Relative position sensing is a critical technology to enable precision formation flying spacecraft missions such as distributed telescopes with focal lengths in excess of 50 meters. Large space telescopes could be constructed from two or more small spacecraft rather than a single large spacecraft like the Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes. Such telescopes could be developed in a matter of 3-5 years rather than two decades and at substantially lower cost. The shorter development time for large telescopes would also accelerate the pace at which science advances. Other applications for precision formation flying include precise rendezvous & docking and in-space assembly.
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