Part 4/7:
Observability and Precision Challenges
Although the satellites will be positioned far from home, Dr. Soter explains that they will still be visible from Earth as tiny dots of light. The precision of their formation flying is astounding, as the two satellites must maintain a required distance of only 500 feet apart with an extraordinary tolerance of less than a millimeter. This level of accuracy is akin to having two satellites situated in Los Angeles and New York City while needing to maintain alignment down to the size of a city block.