DARTS - Distributed Aperture Radio Telescope in Space - First Starlight Explorer

Paper in proceeding, 2018

SBERGMANURSIATDARTS1. However, despite the strong science case for the opening up of a brand-new window on the Universe at a low radio frequency that is largely unexplored, mission proposals have been significantly challenged with the lack of flight proven technologies, to implement a space telescope using low cost small spacecraft formations. In recent years, the advent of CubeSat technologies, interplanetary missions and radio frequency inter-satellite link (ISL) technology, have improved to the point that developing a mission where a space radio telescope is formed using a constellation of small satellites is now viable, to bring unique science offerings.