This invention describes a layered, rate-separated spacecraft swarm guidance, navigation, and control (GNC) architecture that adds a stable separation damping mode to quickly stabilize a deployed swarm, then hands off deterministically to normal mission control for flyby operations. Background: Spacecraft swarms deployed from a carrier offer clear advantages for high speed flyby missions by providing multiple viewpoints and greatly expanded sensing coverage. The moment of deployment, however, is often dominated by separation transients that can quickly degrade imaging geometry or increase collision risk if they are not brought under control. Approaches that treat separation as a passive event typically do not counteract the transients enough for large swarms, where saturation and delays often lead to unstable behavior or sluggish settling. As a result, there is a need for a dedicated separation phase control layer that rapidly and predictably dissipates separation energy and hands off smoothly to downstream mission controllers. Applications:
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