In a significant advancement for autonomous spacecraft operations, AVS US, in collaboration with Cornell University and the University of North Dakota (UND), successfully launched two small satellites aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
The mission, named UND ROADS (Rendezvous and Operations for Autonomous Docking and Servicing), aims to achieve the world’s first fully autonomous docking between small spacecraft using only satellite navigation signals.
Aim to dock using just GPS
Developed at AVS’s facility in Lansing, New York, and supported by Cornell’s Space Systems Design Studio, UND ROADS is a direct evolution of Cornell’s earlier PAN (Pathfinder for Autonomous Navigation) project.
While PAN faced launch delays and operational challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, it introduced the concept of affordable, GPS-based satellite rendezvous using CubeSats.
AVS and UND have since expanded on that foundation, enhancing both the hardware and software for reliability in orbit.
“AVS and UND took what I thought was a sound idea and executed it with much more rigor,” said Mason Peck, principal investigator of PAN and professor of astronautical engineering at Cornell.
“We always wanted to see this fly. Thanks to this partnership, it finally has.”
The ROADS mission employs two small spacecraft equipped with magnetic docking interfaces and onboard differential GPS (DGPS) navigation.
Unlike traditional docking systems that depend on costly sensors and cameras, ROADS relies exclusively on GPS signals and shared satellite-to-satellite communication.
If successful, this minimalist approach could drastically lower the cost and complexity of future orbital servicing, inspection, and assembly missions.
World’s first fully autonomous CubeSat docking
AVS, originally founded in Europe and known for its work in nuclear fusion, space, and particle accelerator technologies, entered the US market in 2019.
Its rapid integration into the American aerospace sector included supplying technology to national labs like the Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source.
The ROADS mission marks AVS’s first complete spacecraft development effort in the US as a prime contractor.
“Cornell’s PAN gave us a deceptively simple concept for a very difficult technical challenge,” said Ramon Blanco Maceiras, AVS US head of space.
“By combining that with AVS’s previous spaceflight and in-orbit servicing experience, we delivered these satellites in under two years—a remarkably fast timeline for a mission of this complexity.”
The spacecraft, now in low Earth orbit, has begun system verification procedures. Rendezvous and docking are planned for later this year.
A successful demonstration could serve both civilian and defense interests, including NASA’s goals for autonomous satellite servicing and the Department of Defense’s need for resilient space logistics.
“This demonstration supports key US strategic objectives and could redefine space operations,” said Blanco Maceiras.
“It’s a stepping stone to in-orbit repair, refueling, self-assembling megastructures, and even the first city in space.”
A technical paper co-authored by AVS, Cornell, and UND will be presented at the 2025 Small Satellite Conference in August, outlining the mission architecture, navigation algorithms, and docking technologies used in this pioneering effort.