A reconfigurable satellite constellation is one that has the ability to dynamically adjust its orbital characteristics in response to changing mission goals. Optionally, reconfiguration could involve adjustment to the constellation population size, such as in situations where gradual expansion of the constellation over time is desirable.
Reconfigurable constellations are inherently more flexible than their static counterparts and enable a number of useful developments, including:
- Staged deployment over time in response to changing demand or coverage requirements,
- The ability to self-repair to compensate for damaged or destroyed satellites within the constellation,
- The ability to adjust orbital parameters to achieve beneficial properties such as improved revisit rates,
- Additional real options to constellation operators,
and other beneficial results. Of course, such benefits come with the trade off that that individual satellites will be more expensive because they will require additional propulsive capability and may need more robust onboard hardware to support altered sensing or communications requirements. Perhaps as a consequence of this outcome, no public reconfigurable constellations have been deployed to date.