Robotic Servicing Technology Development

Abstract

America depends on geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) satellites for defense, communication, science, and weather monitoring. These high-cost assets eventually fail or run out of fuel. Refueling and maintaining these costly assets can keep them operating longer in space, giving the nation more value from its initial investment. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) is performing a detailed study on the design of a GEO servicing spacecraft. This spacecraft would service operational GEO satellites by providing remote survey, relocation, refueling, repair, and component replacement services. This paper will present the progress of technology development activities conducted by the Satellite Servicing Capabilities Office (SSCO) at GSFC in support of this study, in particular: • Robotic system, • Tool drive system, • Motion control software, • Ground-based simulation platforms, • On-orbit demonstration of robotic servicing tasks, • Embedded tool sensors, • Machine vision, • Autonomous capture of client satellite with satellite dynamics on ground-based simulation platforms, and • Mitigation of time delay for robot teleoperations. The robotic technology being developed by SSCO could be applied to a variety of missions including but not limited to repair of human exploration spacecraft, assembly of a large space telescope, removal of orbital debris, and an asteroid sample return mission.