Performance Characterization the Compact Astrometric Alignment Sensor (CAAS) for Precision Formation Flying (CAAS)

Dual-spacecraft Precision Formation Flying (PFF) requires advances in spacecraft guidance, navigation, and control (GN&C) to achieve ultra-precise inertial alignment of the dual-spacecraft platforms to enable milli-arc-sec class distributed virtual telescope missions in Astrophysics and Heliophysics. Technology development of precision formation alignment sensing is required to enable the PFF for these missions. Our team is developing a Compact Astrometric Alignment Sensor (CAAS) that provides milli arc-sec measurements of the alignment of the dual-spacecraft formation relative to an inertial reference. The CAAS simultaneously tracks a single guide star and laser beacon, using a novel image dividing concept to provide performance beyond the optical diffraction limit, achieving <40 milli-arc sec (3 sigma) resolution in a compact package for use on small to mid-size science platforms.

The CAAS will have reduced Size, Weight, and Power and Cost (SWaPC) below the current state-of-art star tracker technologies, with the potential to achieve performance well beyond diffraction limit, approximately 4x improvement over state-of-the art sensors, with much lower SWaPC. The CAAS, an enabling technology for precision formation flying (PFF) missions in Astrophysics and Heliophysics, serves as the baseline alignment sensor for many PFF missions. Performance characterization the CAAS in-the-loop will be conducted in a realistic emulation of the dual-spacecraft flight dynamics and control, raising the TRL level sufficiently high to demonstrate ability to execute these PFF missions, enabling a new type of precision instrument for space science applications.

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