20 research outputs found
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
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Exploration and utilization of asteroids as interplanetary communication relays
There are more than 17,000 asteroids found near Earth and nearly 2 million asteroids estimated in the main belt between Mars and Jupiter. Asteroid come in diverse forms, some may hold valuable resources such as water, carbon and rare metals that may one day supply a spacefaring civilization. However, asteroids maybe also valuable as relay stations for a permanent high-speed, high-bandwidth interplanetary communication network. Asteroids are typically pock-marked with craters and grooves. Pristine craters resemble a parabolic communication antenna, but without the reflective coating or a receiver/transmitter at the focus. In this work, we evaluate two scenarios, the preliminary feasibility of setting up such a radio antenna on the Martian moon Phobos and Deimos (thought to be captured asteroids) that would act as a communication relay between the Martian system and Earth. Phobos is closer to Mars and is tidally locked. This would require two craters converted to antennas, one perpetually pointing at Mars, another pointing at Earth and a local interconnection between the two. Alternately, the relay on Deimos would need just a single crater relay station. We will then compare this communication relay to the current state-of-the-art, namely the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). The proposed communication antennas would be achieved by landing a swarm of CubeSats onto a crater to form the parabolic reflector. Each CubeSat has a mass of 4 kg and a volume of 3U or 3400 cc with one side forming the surface of the reflector. These CubeSats would hop, roll and fly into the crater and distribute themselves to cover maximum surface area. Each CubeSat has deployable reflectors to fill the gap between adjacent neighbors. A parabolic reflector would be able to reflect radio waves with a gap of one-tenth of the wavelength. A large 12U CubeSat would be positioned at the crater center and extend a deployable tower with a feed antenna to the focus. To achieve the current data rate of MRO, which is 4 Mbps, the power needs of a pair of 20 m(2) aperture antennas on Phobos and the interlink will be evaluated. For Deimos, a single 20 m(2) antenna will be considered. In both cases, the intent is to have an antenna gain of 50 dBi per crater. The analysis will also be extended to a 200 m(2) aperture antenna that can provide a data rate of 40 Mbps and antenna gain of 60 dBi per crater. Our approach to the mission design exploits machine learning to perform formulation, design, planning and operations. The results from these preliminary mission design studies will be used to identify a pathway towards detailed design and field studies in a simulated environment.This item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]
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 deorbit 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 deorbiting. 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