Starfish Space is developing autonomous Rendezvous and Proximity Operation (RPO) software to enable a new set of in-space vehicles and missions. The Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) software is capable of docking using exclusively low-thrust electric propulsion. Removing the reliance on chemical propulsion enables small space tugs with 8x more orbital maneuvering capability. The software capitalizes on Starfish Space co-founder Dr. Trevor Bennett's novel extensions to linear relative orbit equations (LROEs). The LROE format is combined with modern computing techniques to reliably and efficiently run on-board RPO vehicles. The guidance software is combined with sensor-fusing navigation filters and vehicle control algorithms to maneuver as desired in proximity to the target asset. The software stack is running in a physics-based simulation, and is ready for testing in simulated scenarios of interest.
