The design, development, and verification of a prototype Autonomous Nanosatellite Swarming (ANS)subsystem. ANS is a dynamics, guidance, navigation and control set of algorithms that can be distributed and deployed on a swarm of cooperative nanosatellites.

The primary application of ANS is the robust onboard characterization of near Earth objects (NEOs) using swarms of small satellites, potentially reducing the cost of small-body missions while dramatically increasing their scientific output. NEOs are of particular interest to the space exploration community for their accessibility and resource value. ANS is designed to support the broadest range of operational scenarios and inter-satellite distances. These encompass diverse orbit regimes including swarm deployment from a mothership spacecraft, quick forced-motion control reconfigurations, and long-term passively safe and stable relative orbits in close proximity with minimal actuation. Optical navigation techniques have additional applications for other multi-spacecraft missions in Earth orbit, at the moon, and beyond.