End to End Satellite Servicing and Space Debris Management

There is growing demand for satellite swarms and constellations for global positioning, remote sensing and relay communication in higher LEO orbits. This will result in many obsolete, damaged and abandoned satellites that will remain on-orbit beyond 25 years. These abandoned satellites and space debris maybe economically valuable orbital real-estate and resources that can be reused, repaired or upgraded for future use. Space traffic management is critical to repair damaged satellites, divert satellites into warehouse orbits and effectively de-orbit satellites and space debris that are beyond repair and salvage. Current methods for on-orbit capture, servicing and repair require a large service satellite. However, by accessing abandoned satellites and space debris, there is an inherent heightened risk of damage to a servicing spacecraft. Sending multiple small-robots with each robot specialized in a specific task is a credible alternative, as the system is simple and cost-effective and where loss of one or more robots does not end the mission. In this work, we outline an end to end multirobot system to capture damaged and abandoned spacecraft for salvaging, repair and for de-orbiting. We analyze the feasibility of sending multiple, decentralized robots that can work cooperatively to perform capture of the target satellite as a first step, followed by crawling onto damage satellites to perform detailed mapping. After obtaining a detailed map of the satellite, the robots will proceed to either repair and replace or dismantle components for salvage operations. Finally, the remaining components will be packaged with a de-orbit device for accelerated de-orbit.Comment: 13 pages, 10 figures, Space Traffic Management Conference. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1809.02028, arXiv:1809.04459, arXiv:1901.0971

NMD SERVER: NATURAL MEDICINES DATABASE FOR DRUG DISCOVERY

Cancer is the most frequently diagnosed disease globally and the second leading cause of the death. Natural Medicines are the alternative form of treatment that includes use of various plants. It is one of the safe treatment option to treat cancer and safer than allopathic medicines in order to reduce side effects. NMD Server: Natural Medicines Database for Drug Discovery is a unique and significant database of its kind, giving researchers, medical practitioners, pharmaceutical industries and students of Life Sciences an instant access to over 354 records of Natural Medicines which may be developed and used for treatment of Cancer. This database constitutes the specific information related to Natural Medicines and their respective target sites. NMD Server: Natural Medicines Database for Drug Discovery provides all the information (database fields) regarding the physiological parameters of database and is considered to be the linked table with pre-determined values and names that are included to aid in populating the fields of the linked tables. There have been many different types of fields with its respective data types that have been designated on the basis of data provided. NMDdock Tools have been integrated in this database for convenience for users like docking analysis of target and natural medicine, Sensitivity & Specificity analysis of natural medicine, Linear Correlation and Regression tool, Sequence Manipulation of target, Statistical Analysis. For the precise information about any particular drug, connectivity has been made with other databases and applications based highly bioinformatics tools have been embedded for convenience of users.&nbsp

Advanced Inflatable De-Orbit Solutions for Derelict Satellites and Orbital Debris

The exponential rise in small-satellites and CubeSats in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) poses important challenges for future space traffic management. At altitudes of 600 km and lower, aerodynamic drag accelerates de-orbiting of satellites. However, placement of satellites at higher altitudes required for constellations pose important challenges. The satellites will require on-board propulsion to lower their orbits to 600 km and let aerodynamic drag take-over. In this work we analyze solutions for de-orbiting satellites at altitudes of up to 3000 km. We consider a modular robotic de-orbit device that has stowed volume of a regular CubeSat. The de-orbit device would be externally directed towards a dead satellite or placed on one by an external satellite servicing system. Our solutions are intended to be simple, high-reliability devices that operate in a passive manner, requiring no active electronics or utilize external beamed power in the form of radio frequency, microwave or laser to operate. Utilizing this approach, it is possible for an external, even ground based system to direct the de-orbit of a spacecraft. The role of an external system to direct the de-orbit is important to avoid accidental collisions. Some form of propulsion is needed to lower the orbit of the dead satellite or orbital debris. We considered green (non-toxic) propulsion methods including solar radiation pressure, solar-thermal propulsion using water steam, solar-electrolysis propulsion using water and use of electrodynamic tethers. Based on this trade-study we identify multiple solutions that can be used to de-orbit a spacecraft or orbital debris.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures, Space Traffic Management Conference 2019. arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1809.0445

Advanced Inflatable De-Orbit Solutions for Derelict Satellites and Orbital Debris

The exponential rise in small-satellites and CubeSats in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) poses important challenges for future space traffic management. At altitudes of 600 km and lower, aerodynamic drag accelerates de-orbiting of satellites. However, placement of satellites at higher altitudes required for constellations pose important challenges. The satellites will require on-board propulsion to lower their orbits to 600 km and let aerodynamic drag take-over. In this work we analyze solutions for de-orbiting satellites at altitudes of up to 3000 km. We consider a modular robotic de-orbit device that has stowed volume of a regular CubeSat. The de-orbit device would be externally directed towards a dead satellite or placed on one by an external satellite servicing system. Our solutions are intended to be simple, high-reliability devices that operate in a passive manner, requiring no active electronics or utilize external beamed power in the form of radio frequency, microwave or laser to operate. Utilizing this approach, it is possible for an external, even ground based system to direct the de-orbit of a spacecraft. The role of an external system to direct the de-orbit is important to avoid accidental collisions. Some form of propulsion is needed to lower the orbit of the dead satellite or orbital debris. We considered green (non-toxic) propulsion methods including solar radiation pressure, solar-thermal propulsion using water steam, solar-electrolysis propulsion using water and use of electrodynamic tethers. Based on this trade-study we identify multiple solutions that can be used to de-orbit a spacecraft or orbital debris

CATSAT: A 6U Inflatable Antenna Technology Demonstration Mission

This paper describes the design, development and flight testing of a half-meter spherical membrane reflector antenna built out of reflective and clear Mylar segments. A custom-built line feed optimized for operation at 10.5 GHz is used for spherical correction. The antenna system has been jointly developed by the University of Arizona and FreeFall Aerospace, Inc as primary payload to be demonstrated on-orbit on the University of Arizona’s 6U LEO mission CATSAT, nominally scheduled to launch no earlier than September 2022. The launch is a part of NASA’s CSLI program. The mission has been designed for a low earth sun-synchronous orbit. With the primary objective being the demonstration of high data rate transmission from the inflatable antenna system. This paper describes the mission and pre-flight development activities. We present key results from integration and testing activities and future work planned