{"id":475597,"date":"2023-07-11T16:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-07-11T20:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/?post_type=migration&p=475597"},"modified":"2023-08-01T11:18:15","modified_gmt":"2023-08-01T15:18:15","slug":"nasas-starling-mission-sending-swarm-of-satellites-into-orbit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/centers-and-facilities\/nasas-starling-mission-sending-swarm-of-satellites-into-orbit\/","title":{"rendered":"NASA\u2019s Starling Mission Sending Swarm of Satellites into Orbit"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Swarm Technology in Space with NASA's Starling Mission\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/7lOMHxqG6oE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">NASA is sending a team of four CubeSats into orbit around Earth to see if they\u2019re able to cooperate on their own, without real-time updates from mission control. While that kind of autonomous cooperation may not sound too difficult for humans, this team will be robotic \u2013 composed of small satellites to test out key technologies for the future of deep space missions.<br>Credits: NASA\u2019s Ames Research Center<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>This July, NASA is sending a team of four six-unit (6U)-sized <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mission_pages\/cubesats\/overview\" rel=\"noopener\">CubeSats<\/a> into orbit around Earth to see if they\u2019re able to cooperate on their own, without real-time updates from mission control. While that kind of autonomous cooperation may not sound too difficult for humans, this team will be robotic \u2013 composed of small satellites to test out key technologies for the future of deep space missions, where more complex and autonomous spacecraft will be essential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once launched, the four CubeSats will fly in two different formations to test several technologies paving the way towards a future where swarms of satellites can cooperate to do science in deep space. This mission, called <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/directorates\/spacetech\/small_spacecraft\/starling\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Starling<\/a>, will last at least six months, positioning the spacecraft about 355 miles above Earth and spaced about 40 miles apart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cStarling, and the capabilities it brings for autonomous command and control for swarms of small spacecraft, will enhance NASA\u2019s abilities for future science and exploration missions,\u201d said Roger Hunter, program manager for NASA\u2019s Small Spacecraft Technology program at NASA\u2019s Ames Research Center in California\u2019s Silicon Valley. \u201cThe mission represents a significant step forward.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are four main capabilities Starling will be testing: autonomously maneuvering to stay together as a group, creating an adaptable communications network amongst the spacecraft, keeping track of each other\u2019s relative position, and responding to new information from onboard sensors by executing new activities on their own. In essence, Starling is looking to create a swarm of small satellites that can function as an autonomous community, capable of responding to their environment and completing tasks as a team.<\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-media hds-module wp-block-image\"><div class=\"margin-left-auto margin-right-auto nasa-block-align-inline\"><div class=\"hds-media-wrapper margin-left-auto margin-right-auto\"><figure class=\"hds-media-inner hds-cover-wrapper hds-media-ratio-none \"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/starling7.jpg\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1152\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/starling7.jpg?w=2048\" class=\"attachment-2048x2048 size-2048x2048\" alt=\"An illustration of a four small satellites in low Earth orbit as part of the Starling mission.\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/starling7.jpg 3840w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/starling7.jpg?resize=300,169 300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/starling7.jpg?resize=768,432 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/starling7.jpg?resize=1024,576 1024w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/starling7.jpg?resize=1536,864 1536w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/starling7.jpg?resize=2048,1152 2048w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/starling7.jpg?resize=400,225 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/starling7.jpg?resize=600,338 600w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/starling7.jpg?resize=900,506 900w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/starling7.jpg?resize=1200,675 1200w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/starling7.jpg?resize=2000,1125 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" loading=\"eager\" \/><\/a><\/figure><figcaption class=\"hds-caption padding-y-2\"><div class=\"hds-caption-text p-sm margin-0\">NASA\u2019s Starling six-month mission will use a team of four CubeSats in low Earth orbit to test technologies that let spacecraft operate in a synchronized manner without resources from the ground. The technologies will advance capabilities in swarm maneuver planning and execution, communications networking, relative navigation, and autonomous coordination between spacecraft. <\/div><div class=\"hds-credits\"><strong>Credits: NASA\/Conceptual Image Lab\/Ross Walter<\/strong><\/div><\/figcaption><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Swarm technologies allow for the ability to take scientific measurements from multiple points in space, build networks capable of patching themselves if one piece goes down, and have spacecraft systems that don\u2019t need to stay in touch with Earth to respond to changes in the environment. A swarm of spacecraft is also more resilient against failures or malfunctions within the team as each spacecraft is redundant to another. If one fails, the others can compensate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Starling\u2019s first mission carries a suite of four technologies to be tested out. The first is ROMEO (Reconfiguration and Orbit Maintenance Experiments Onboard), testing software designed to autonomously plan and execute maneuvers without any direct input from an operator. On the Starling mission, it will allow the satellites to fly in a cluster, both planning out trajectories and executing them on their own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A Mobile Ad-hoc Network (MANET) is a communications system composed of wirelessly linked devices in which data is routed and rerouted automatically based on network conditions. An example on Earth is mesh Wi-Fi, in which multiple internet routers are placed throughout a home, allowing mobile devices to automatically connect to the strongest signal. In the same way, the Starling spacecraft have crosslink radios that allow communication between spacecraft when they are in range, with the onboard MANET software determining the best way to route traffic through the network of satellites. Starling will test this network, showing whether the system can automatically create and maintain a network in space over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Each CubeSat also has its own \u201cstar tracker\u201d sensors onboard, normally used so that a satellite can keep track of its own orientation in space, much like sailors using the stars to navigate at night. Because the satellites will be relatively close together, in addition to stars, these sensors will pick up the light from their fellow swarm spacecraft and use specialized software to keep track of the rest of the swarm. Called StarFOX (Starling Formation-Flying Optical Experiment), this unique use of common spacecraft sensors will allow the backdrop of the stars to keep the swarm together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Finally, the Distributed Spacecraft Autonomy (DSA) experiment demonstrates the ability of a swarm of spacecraft to collect and analyze science data onboard and cooperatively optimize data collection in response. The satellites will monitor Earth\u2019s ionosphere \u2013 part of the upper atmosphere \u2013 and if one detects something interesting, it will communicate to the other satellites to observe the same phenomenon. The ability for satellites to autonomously react to an observation will enhance science data collection for a host of future NASA science missions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After its primary mission is complete, the next stage for Starling will be a partnership with SpaceX\u2019s Starlink satellite constellation to test advanced space traffic management techniques between autonomous spacecraft operated by different organizations. By sharing future trajectory intentions with each other, NASA and SpaceX will demonstrate an automated system for ensuring that both sets of satellites can operate safely while in relative proximity in low-Earth orbit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cStarling 1.5 will be foundational for helping understand rules of the road for space traffic management,\u201d said Hunter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Robotics will always be at the forefront of exploration, both crewed and uncrewed. The ability to have satellites and spacecraft operate in a networked, autonomous, and coordinated capacity means NASA is ensuring humanity can go further and do better science than ever before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>NASA Ames leads the Starling project. NASA\u2019s Small Spacecraft Technology program, based at NASA Ames and within NASA\u2019s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD), funds and manages the Starling mission. Blue Canyon Technologies designed and manufactured the spacecraft buses and is providing mission operations support. Rocket Lab USA, Inc. provides launch and integration services. Partners supporting Starling\u2019s payload experiments include Stanford University\u2019s Space Rendezvous Lab in Stanford, California, Emergent Space Technologies of Laurel, Maryland, CesiumAstro of Austin, Texas, L3Harris Technologies, Inc., of Melbourne, Florida, and NASA Ames \u2013 with funding support by NASA\u2019s Game Changing Development program within STMD.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>For news media:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Members of the news media interested in covering this topic should reach out to the <a href=\"mailto:arc-dl-newsroom@mail.nasa.gov\">NASA Ames newsroom<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Author: Frank Tavares, NASA\u2019s Ames Research Center<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This July, NASA is sending a team of four six-unit (6U)-sized CubeSats into orbit around Earth to see if they\u2019re able to cooperate on their own, without real-time updates from mission control. While that kind of autonomous cooperation may not sound too difficult for humans, this team will be robotic \u2013 composed of small satellites [...]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":183,"featured_media":464388,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nasa_hds_core_meta_l10n":"en-US","nasa_hds_core_meta_article_editor":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_article_contacts":[],"nasa_hds_core_meta_article_topic":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_linked_locations":[],"nasa_hds_core_meta_article_related_articles":[],"hds_migrate_meta_pr_release_id":"","hds_migrate_meta_pr_release_type":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_location_x":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_location_y":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_gallery_images":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[2854,2665,2777],"news-tags":[],"internal-terms":[],"coauthors":[],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"NASA\u2019s Starling Mission Sending Swarm of Satellites into Orbit","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/centers-and-facilities\/nasas-starling-mission-sending-swarm-of-satellites-into-orbit\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/centers-and-facilities\/nasas-starling-mission-sending-swarm-of-satellites-into-orbit\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/starling7.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/starling7.jpg"},"articleSection":"NASA Centers & Facilities","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Frank Tavares"}],"creator":["Frank Tavares"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"NASA","logo":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/themes\/nasa\/assets\/images\/nasa-logo.svg"},"keywords":["Missions","Small Satellite Missions","Ames Research Center","NASA Centers & Facilities"],"dateCreated":"2023-07-11T20:00:00Z","datePublished":"2023-07-11T20:00:00Z","dateModified":"2023-08-01T15:18:15Z"},"rendered":"<meta name=\"parsely-title\" content=\"NASA\u2019s Starling Mission Sending Swarm of Satellites into Orbit\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-link\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/centers-and-facilities\/nasas-starling-mission-sending-swarm-of-satellites-into-orbit\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-type\" content=\"post\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-image-url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/starling7.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-pub-date\" content=\"2023-07-11T20:00:00Z\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-section\" content=\"NASA Centers & Facilities\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-tags\" content=\"Missions,Small Satellite Missions,Ames Research Center,NASA Centers & Facilities\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-author\" content=\"Frank Tavares\" \/>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/nasa.gov\/p.js"},"read_time":6,"time_ago":"11 months","featured_image":{"id":464388,"file":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/starling7.jpg","title":"Starling7","alt":"An illustration of a four small satellites in low Earth orbit as part of the Starling mission.","caption":"NASA\u2019s Starling six-month mission will use a team of four CubeSats in low Earth orbit to test technologies that let spacecraft operate in a synchronized manner without resources from the ground. The technologies will advance capabilities in swarm maneuver planning and execution, communications networking, relative navigation, and autonomous coordination between spacecraft."},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/475597"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/183"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=475597"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/475597\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":477179,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/475597\/revisions\/477179"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/464388"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=475597"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=475597"},{"taxonomy":"news-tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-tags?post=475597"},{"taxonomy":"internal-terms","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal-terms?post=475597"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=475597"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}