Repair Satellite Prototype
CubeSat prototype for demonstrating small-scale in-orbit spacecraft repair.
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via Wikipedia: Repair Satellite Prototype · see source
RSat-P (Repair Satellite-Prototype) is a microsatellite built by the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, designed as a 3U CubeSat to test whether a small spacecraft could perform minor repairs on a much larger conventional satellite. It launched on 16 December 2018 aboard an Electron rocket as part of NASA's Educational Launch of Nanosatellites (ELaNa) Mission 19. The satellite has never been identified, and all objects classified from that launch have decayed, with RSat-P among the unidentified ones that have re-entered Earth's atmosphere.
Overview
Roughly one-third of commercial spacecraft failures stem from issues with solar panel deployment, wiring, sunshields, or antenna deployment. RSat-P was built to explore whether a CubeSat could address these small-scale but high-impact problems. One concept involves an RSat embedded in its host spacecraft, using claws to crawl along the failed vehicle for diagnosis and repair. Another approach would release an RSat from a nearby constellation spacecraft, paired with a propulsive BRICSat unit, to reach the target.
More complex servicing tasks would be handled by the larger Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellites (RSGS) being developed by DARPA. The team—Edward Hanlon, Benjamin Keegan, Morgan Lange, Jacob Pittman, Gavin Roser, and Dakota Wenberg, advised by Jin Kang—received the Secretary of the Navy's Innovation Scholar Award in 2017 at a Pentagon ceremony for their research. The first robotic arm prototype was originally scheduled for an early 2017 launch but was postponed to December 2018.
Description
RSat-P is a 3U CubeSat that serves as part of the Autonomous On-orbit Diagnostic System (AMODS) being developed by the U.S. Naval Academy satellite laboratory. AMODS has two main components: RSat and BRICSat, which provides propulsion, but the RSat-P prototype lacks a propulsion system. Its two robotic arms are the first ever installed on such a small platform.
Each arm is made of 3D printed carbon fiber, has 7 degrees of freedom, measures 60 cm in length, and together they span 1.5 m. A CMOS camera mounted at the center of the satellite body monitors the accuracy of arm movements, while two additional cameras on the claws allow the satellite to take diagnostic pictures of itself on demand. The mission will test these arms through patterns that simulate repairing a damaged spacecraft.
Activities
The RSat-P mission had four main tasks. Navigate and coordinate: each arm had to move to precise locations for flexible orbital operations. Handshake: the arms operated in close proximity to each other.
Manipulation: Arm 1 picked up a demonstration object from one end of the spacecraft and moved it within camera range, then Arm 2 took control of the object, validating the manipulator design and precision. Imaging: the arms moved to various positions around the spacecraft and captured images of all six faces. The spacecraft completed all assigned tasks, including touching and grasping an object and testing two-arm coordination.
More in Military Space Program of the United States
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Repair Satellite Prototype (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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