Editorial: Robotic In-Situ Servicing, Assembly and Manufacturing

This research topic is dedicated to articles focused on robotic manufacturing, assembly, and servicing utilizing in-situ resources, especially for space robotic applications. The purpose was to gather resource material for researchers from a variety of disciplines to identify common themes, formulate problems, and share promising technologies for autonomous large-scale construction, servicing, and assembly robots. The articles under this special topic provide a snapshot of several key technologies under development to support on-orbit robotic servicing, assembly, and manufacturing

Using Semantic Systems Engineering Techniques to Verity the Large Aperture Space Telescope Mission – Current Status

MBSE aims to integrate engineering models across tools and domain boundaries to support traditional systems engineering activities (e.g., requirements elicitation and traceability, design, analysis, verification and validation). However, MBSE does not inherently solve interoperability with the multiple model-based infrastructures involved in a complex systems engineering project. The challenge is to implement digital continuity in the three dimensions of systems engineering: across disciplines, throughout the lifecycle, and along the supply chain. Space systems are ideal candidates for the application of MBSE and semantic modelling as these complex and expensive systems are mission-critical and often co-developed by multiple stakeholders. In this paper, the authors introduce the concept of Semantic Systems Engineering (SES) as an expansion of MBSE practices to include semantic modelling through SWTs. The paper also presents the progress and status of a novel Semantic Systems Engineering Ontology (SESO) in the context of a specific design case study – the Large Aperture Space Telescope mission