Using Angle Information Between Drected Lnks in Coordinating Saellite Custers

Maintenance and control of microsatellite formations require accurate position sensing and actuation. Accurate three-dimensional relative positional sensing technologies, including differential global positioning satellite (GPS), radio frequency and laser ranging, and optical imaging techniques, are key technologies for satellite formations. This paper is concerned with the use of angle measurements among the sensing-communication links of microsatellite formations in order to detect formation dispersion so that the shape of the formation is preserved.