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| DART will rendezvous with the target satellite, the Multiple Paths, Beyond-Line-of-Site Communications (MUBLCOM) satellite, also built by Orbital Sciences. Launched in May 1999, the MUBLCOM satellite was outfitted with equipment designed for future use with a video guidance system such as the Advanced Video Guidance Sensor (AVGS) onboard DART.
 Image to left: The Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology (DART) vehicle will be the first spacecraft to perform a rendezvous without human aid. Credit: NASA
The AVGS is an advanced version of the Video Guidance Sensor developed by the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., for NASA's Automated Rendezvous and Capture Project, which included two successful flight tests on the Space Shuttle.
The next-generation AVGS incorporates advanced optics and electronics and allows DART to communicate with and track the MUBLCOM satellite within a range of 5 to 250-plus meters.
Once DART reaches the MUBLCOM satellite, it will perform several autonomous rendezvous and close proximity operations, such as moving toward and away from the satellite using navigation data provided by the AVGS and Global Positioning System (GPS) based information.
The Autonomous Rendezvous and Proximity Operations software on DART will test additional algorithms by calculating and executing collision avoidance maneuvers and circumnavigation -- navigating around the MUBLCOM satellite. To conclude the mission, DART will fly away from the MUBLCOM satellite. The entire 24-hour mission will be accomplished without human intervention.
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