Enhancing Close-Proximity Small Body Missions: The Role of Spacecraft Autonomy

Small bodies exploration is rapidly advancing, but challenges such as environmental uncertainties, communication delays, and high costs complicate missions in close proximity to these bodies. Autonomy offers robust solutions for real-time decision-making and is increasingly being implemented on platforms with limited capabilities, such as CubeSats, which allow for riskier operations due to their low costs. This study uses the Multi-Spacecraft Concept and Autonomy Tool (MuSCAT) simulator to model the 6U Distributed Radar Observations of Interior Distributions (DROID) spacecraft mission near various small bodies with different shapes and physical parameters, specifically (99942) Apophis, (101955) Bennu, 67P/Churyumov- Gerasimenko, and (433) Eros. The focus is on attitude and orbital estimation and control, while considering different orbital distances and thrusting errors. The work identifies a one-day interval between trajectory correction maneuvers as a practical limit to avoid the need for autonomy and aims to determine when autonomy becomes necessary for efficient small body missions.