Deployable Localization System for Satellites

As NASA sends more missions to Mars, asteroids, and other planetary bodies, one of the
challenges it faces is how to keep satellites in a steady orbit around these objects, which may
be irregularly shaped, have unknown gravitational fields, or have moons that complicate a
satellite’s orbit. NASA’s upcoming Psyche mission faces this problem. It needs to orbit the
asteroid 16 Psyche, which has dimensions that are only known to within 10% and mass and
density estimates with “large uncertainty” [1]. Even an aerostationary orbit around Mars would
be challenging [2]. Even though localization systems are widespread on Earth, none are
operational outside Earth’s orbit. This project proposes to develop a proof-of-concept system
to solve this problem: a deployable system for tracking satellites using RF signals sent from the
satellite and responded to by simple, small, cheap, low power, long lifetime beacons placed on
the body being orbited.