Operational Concept

SS Cornelius is a CubeSat which hitches a ride on the exterior of a deep space probe via a magnetic docking mechanism. Before landmark events on the probe's voyage, SS Cornelius is ejected by an actuator which propels it to a distance appropriate for taking nice photographs of the event. When the event has finished, SS Cornelius is recalled to the probe and re-docks to await deployment again.

As SS Cornelius is ejected it emits a blue light. A vision system in the dock then identifies this beacon and makes sure that it remains in line of sight. If it starts to drift out of the line of sight then either a propulsive brake can be applied or in an extreme case the satellite can be recalled to the dock.

All being well, when SS Cornelius reaches it's set distance it will apply a propulsive brake which acts against the force of the ejection actuator. Distance is measured by calculating the frequency and decibel level of the telemetry system between the dock and the satellite. The line of sight beacon will remain on and tracked throughout the process in case the satellite starts to drift.

Telemetry commands tell SS Cornelius when to take photos or video at key events as required by the probe or mission control.

When the satellite is recalled it uses its propulsive thruster to return towards the dock on the space probe. As it returns its attitude and heading are adjusted to bring it as close to the docking system position as possible. When it reaches a distance of 1m the blue beacon turns off and the red and green beacon alternate. The vision system in the dock uses this information to send telemetry commands to adjust the attitude of the satellite as it slowly nears the docking face.

As SS Cornelius gets closer to the docking face it reduces speed. Finally the opposing magnets on both the satellite and the dock bring them together at which point the propulsion stops.

Contacts on the docking plates allow the satellite to recharge whilst awaiting it's next mission.

The telemetry system between the dock and the satellite are completely independent of the host space probe and ground control. A very simple interface is exposed to the probe via either electrical IO or as a device on the probe's bus system. SS Cornelius is designed to be a stand alone product which can be easily added as a complete system to any space hardware.