Autonomous optical and inertial navigation of solar-sail propelled CubeSat class spacecraft during targeting missions to asteroids and minor moons

Traveling through deep space is still an area that needs to be improved and regenerated considering the number of successful interplanetary missions. Furthermore, traveling through distant asteroids or planetary systems requires innovative technologies in propulsion, tracking, maneuvering, etc. Since the spacecraft voyages through deep space, it cannot completely count on ground-based navigation systems and needs to have an on-board, autonomous navigation system to steer itself. Another solid reason to develop an autonomous navigation technology is the overuse of the Deep Space Network which has started to ripen and thus may not be able to deliver as before. Likewise, the propulsion technology needs to be reformed according to the needs of missions. Solar-sailing has branched out in that sense, providing a potential to improve space travel without carrying any engine or conventional propulsion system but utilizing radiation pressure produced by the Sun. Although there are some pioneer missions implementing these technologies, there is not any application that has combined autonomous navigation and Solar-sailing. And, this project intends to prove the concept of a Cube-Sat class, Solar-sail propelled spacecraft with an on-board autonomous optical and inertial navigation system during targeting missions to asteroids and minor moons by modeling a synthetic stellar environment on Mathematica to operate navigation procedures, eventually to estimate the spacecraft's current position.