Technology drivers and challenges for next generation distributed spacecraft systems

Distributed spacecraft systems is envisioned to provide the technology platform to extend, improve and enable mission concepts such as wide aperture radars for high-precision space-borne surveillance, 3D mapping of Earth's magnetic field and even deep-space interferometry to better understand the origins of the universe. However, a mission with a fully autonomous spacecraft fleet flying in close-proximity or in a tightly kept configuration has yet to be realized.