re: Planet Quest -- Any experts on interferometers?
You basically confirmed that interferometers can be connected by a simple data link. But that's not what the Planet Finder website describes. It states:
"The major mission risk is the reliance on a simultaneous and coordinated use of five separate spacecraft flying in formation; four telescopes each on separate spacecraft and an additional spacecraft used as a beam combiner."
source
Why do they need a "beam combiner" spacecraft ?