As soon as on-orbit, the RSGS robotic servicing car will examine and repair satellites in Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO), the place lots of of satellites present communications, climate monitoring, help nationwide safety missions, and different important capabilities.
The RSGS program is a public-private partnership between DARPA and Northrop Grumman’s SpaceLogistics subsidiary, with NRL growing the robotic servicing payload.
“This partnership will allow revolutionary servicing capabilities to business and authorities customers for visible diagnostics, upgrades, orbit adjustment, and satellite tv for pc repairs,” Bernie Kelm, Superintendent of the Spacecraft Engineering Division, NCST, mentioned. “Because the robotic payload developer, we designed this progressive set of spaceflight {hardware} and software program that may advance nationwide capabilities in satellite tv for pc servicing.”
The RSGS payload consists of flight {hardware} elements, robotic management algorithms, a number of extremely custom-made electronics designs, and flight software program working on 5 single-board computer systems. NRL additionally specified and procured two dexterous seven-degree-of-freedom robotic arms, outfitting them with management electronics, cameras, lights, and a robotic instrument changer.
Moreover, NRL developed the robotic instrument to grapple buyer satellites through their normal launch car interface and procured one other instrument to seize resupply components which can be suitable with DARPA’s Payload Orbital Supply (POD) design normal.
“Our various group of NCST engineers has targeted their efforts on the robotic payload for the RSGS Program for the final seven years,” William Vincent, NRL’s RSGS program supervisor, mentioned. “The Robotic Payload is one in all NRL’s most intricate payload developments ever.”
NRL engineers developed a number of energy and management avionics working on a distributed SpaceWire community to help an prolonged period mission to regulate all of the sensors and actuators in a strong and redundant method. NRL procured panchromatic and colour cameras, alongside designing LED lighting items to supply situational consciousness throughout robotic actions.
“Our algorithms group developed machine imaginative and prescient, place management, collision avoidance, and compliance management algorithms that help robotics management and allow autonomous grapple capabilities,” Vincent mentioned. “The algorithms are applied in flight software program which additionally offers the entire command-and-control performance for the payload and offers management interfaces to the spacecraft bus.”
Robotic motions require particular planning to make sure secure spacecraft operations. NRL has developed the Built-in Robotic Workstation (IRW) to perform simply that. The IRW helps mission planning for the event of latest mission actions. As soon as a mission is deliberate, the IRW helps screening actions to prescreen all robotic movement instructions in a payload simulator to confirm command masses earlier than they’re despatched.
Lastly, utilizing NRL’s Neptune® floor management software program, the IRW instructions all robotic payload actions and shows and developments payload telemetry throughout operations. To execute this effort, a talented methods engineering group spent years performing system analyses, documenting necessities and interfaces, and producing a strong verification and validation plan.
“The engineers labored carefully with the combination and take a look at groups to make sure the system meets all necessities because it comes collectively for part, subsystem, and payload degree testing,” Vincent mentioned. “As soon as full, the robotic payload will allow the big selection of missions envisioned and future missions not but imagined.”
The RSGS group lately accomplished environmental testing of the primary of two flight robotic arm methods. This included simulating the launch surroundings in NRL’s vibration lab, simulating each the vacuum and excessive temperature ranges of area in NRL’s thermal vacuum (TVAC) Chamber, and guaranteeing electromagnetic interference (EMI) performance in EMI chamber testing.
Throughout TVAC testing, the robotic arm system demonstrated efficiency over temperatures representing precise on-orbit circumstances. Beneath the cruel temperature and vacuum circumstances of area, the robotic arm carried out a wide range of operations together with working pre-planned robotic calibration actions, instrument actuation, and digital camera and light-weight capabilities.
The second robotic arm system is built-in with a separate testbed that has the whole flight avionics suite. It’s at present going by way of movement efficiency testing. This fall, the second arm system will full environmental testing. Robotic efficiency testing to exhibit and confirm robotic algorithms’ operate is underway within the Robotics Testbed (RTB) at NRL’s House Robotics Laboratory. The RTB consists of a non-spaceflight model of the flight robotic arm system and avionics {hardware} working flight software program. This high-fidelity robotics testbed permits floor verification of many system-level robotic efficiency traits for the RSGS payload.
Compliance Management algorithm characterization and Marman Ring Detector algorithm efficiency characterization have been accomplished. Contact dynamics testing within the RTB is underway, which makes use of a sled floating on a skinny layer of air to simulate the arm contacting consumer area autos ranging in mass from 75 – 3,000kg (165 – 6,613lbs.). Grapple, articulation, and launch testing is scheduled later this summer time.
The flight software program group is getting ready to begin qualification testing. Testing takes place in a software program testbed with a real-time dynamic simulation that generates simulated robotic arm pose inputs for the robotic management algorithms and dynamic imagery for enter into machine imaginative and prescient algorithms. This testbed permits the NRL group to check the flight algorithms with sensible management loops to completely confirm the system completely earlier than launch.
“The methods engineering and verification efforts required by RSGS are in depth,” Amy Hurley, NRL’s Lead Programs Engineer, mentioned. “It’s superb to see years of methods engineering and a robust verification and validation plan come collectively efficiently.”
In regards to the U.S. Naval Analysis Laboratory
NRL is a scientific and engineering command devoted to analysis that drives progressive advances for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps from the seafloor to area and within the data area. NRL is positioned in Washington, D.C. with main discipline websites in Stennis House Heart, Mississippi; Key West, Florida; Monterey, California, and employs roughly 3,000 civilian scientists, engineers and help personnel.
In regards to the Naval Heart for House Expertise
To protect and improve a robust area expertise base and supply skilled help within the improvement and acquisition of area methods for naval missions, the actions of the Naval Heart for House Expertise (NCST) lengthen from primary and utilized analysis by way of superior improvement in all areas of Navy area program curiosity. These actions embrace growing spacecraft, methods utilizing these spacecraft, and floor command and management stations.
For extra data, contact NRL Company Communications at (202) 480-3746 or nrlpao@nrl.navy.mil.
