Satellites autonomously find each other in space – making missions “easier, cheaper, and far more flexible”

Each satellite carries a star-like pattern on its exterior. The built-in navigation cameras detect these patterns on the partner satellite and calculate relative direction and distance with unprecedented accuracy in space.

The future has arrived

DTU Space professor John Leif Jørgensen, who led the development of the system, emphasized the enormous potential this breakthrough holds for future space research.

“When autonomous spacecraft can locate each other across vast distances and navigate into contact with micrometer precision, they can also effectively function as a single instrument,” he says, continuing:

“A group of smaller, far less expensive satellites can thus perform tasks that today require massive and costly spacecraft. This breakthrough makes advanced space research easier, cheaper and far more flexible – opening entirely new possibilities for exploring other solar systems in great detail.”

Three smaller satellites flying in precise formation over hundreds of meters can, in principle, act as a single large mirror. This enables sharper focus on distant stars and galaxies than traditional space telescopes.

Full testing of the technology

Following the first scientific observation of the Sun’s corona, DTU Space was granted the opportunity to take control of the spacecraft for a week to fully test the navigation technology.

During this period, the satellites were able to find each other on their own, adjust their orbits, and align in formation with a precision comparable to hitting the center of a penny with a laser from three kilometers away.

“The system has exceeded all expectations in navigation and formation flying, operating thousands of kilometers from Earth as two satellites functioning as one. The footage provides the first documentation of the technology in space in its entirety—a true game changer for future missions,” says John Leif Jørgensen.