Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology
The Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology was a NASA flight test intended to locate, approach, and maneuver near the in-orbit MUBLCOM satellite without real-time ground control. DART combined GPS-based relative navigation with an Advanced Video Guidance Sensor to test autonomous rendezvous and close-proximity operations during a planned 24-hour mission.
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Identity
- Aliases
- DARTDemonstration for Autonomous Rendezvous Technology2005-014A
- Name
- Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology
- Slug
- demonstration-of-autonomous-rendezvous-technology
- Status
- failed
Details
- Astronauts
- -
- Description
- The Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology was a NASA flight test intended to locate, approach, and maneuver near the in-orbit MUBLCOM satellite without real-time ground control. DART combined GPS-based relative navigation with an Advanced Video Guidance Sensor to test autonomous rendezvous and close-proximity operations during a planned 24-hour mission.
- End Date
- 2005-04-15
- Launch Site
- Outcome
- DART completed launch, early-orbit, and rendezvous phases, but navigation-software errors drove excessive thruster firings and prevented the planned sensor transition for proximity operations. About eleven hours after launch it collided with MUBLCOM, depleted its propellant, and entered retirement. Eleven of twenty-seven objectives were met fully or partially, but none of the fourteen critical proximity-operations objectives were achieved; NASA classified the event as a Type A mishap.
- Start Date
- 2005-04-15
- Vehicle Families
Links
Assets & Meta
- Creation Time
- July 18, 2026 at 16:12:42 UTC
- Updated Time
- July 18, 2026 at 16:12:42 UTC
Other
- Affiliations
- Space Stations
- -
- Vehicles