Beamforming with spacecraft under reduced localization and clock constraints

Abstract

This paper proposes a novel phase synchronization technique that enables beamforming with multiple resource-limited spacecraft in space and capitalizes on their spatial geometry. The proposed technique employs an external beacon to obviate the need for explicit time synchronization and reduces the accuracy requirements on localization. Results show that subcentimeter (subnanosecond)-level phase synchronization can be achieved with localization accuracy in the order of meters.