The Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology (DART) was part of NASA's efforts to develop technologies to make space travel safer and more affordable, by proving the technologies required for spacecraft to locate and rendezvous with another spacecraft without direct human guidance. While NASA had performed rendezvous and docking missions in the past, astronauts have always piloted the spacecraft. The autonomous rendezvous technologies demonstrated by DART were designed to provide a critical step for establishing an autonomous rendezvous capability for the United States laying the groundwork for future reusable manned and unmanned launch vehicle operations. Applications of this technology include cargo delivery, space operations for the International Space Station (ISS) and other on-orbit activities such as satellite retrieval and servicing missions.
On April 15, 2005, DART was launched aboard a Pegasus® rocket. DART successfully completed the location and rendezvous phases of its operations, closing to within approximately 92 meters (300 feet) of the mission's target: the Multiple-Path Beyond-Line-of-Site Communications (MUBLCOM) satellite. DART's Advanced Video Guidance System (AVGS) instrument was also able to acquire the MUBLCOM satellite, accomplishing one of the mission's key R&D objectives. The DART spacecraft was unable to complete all of its operations near the MUBLCOM satellite due to a depleted fuel situation.
One of the main technologies aboard the DART spacecraft, the Orbital-built Advanced Video Guidance Sensor (AVGS), is an integral part of the DARPA Orbital Express program currently demonstrating autonomous rendezvous technologies.
