Session
Technical Poster Session 3
Location
Utah State University, Logan, UT
Abstract
A critical enabling technology for on-orbit servicing is the secure yet reversable capture of a client vehicle so that it can be released after being maneuvered or otherwise serviced. Astroscale has demonstrated on-orbit capture and release with a permanent magnetic capture mechanism and a mechanical release on their ELSA-d mission. Altius Space Machines (Altius) have created an alternative capture and release solution with their patented technology featuring electropermanent magnet (EPM) elements. An EPM capture mechanism can alternately a) establish a permanent magnetic field for capture of a client vehicle and b) eliminate this magnetic field for release of the client vehicle. Altius and Astroscale partnered to test this technology.
Astroscale developed a 3-degree of freedom (3-DoF) simulation using rigid body collision equations to characterize the dynamics of Altius Space Machines’ system. In these engagements, a servicing vehicle uses an EPM mechanism to capture a client vehicle equipped with a ferromagnetic docking plate. Altius provided magnetic field data comprising a combination of measured and simulated magnetic field data between the EPM capture mechanism and the ferromagnetic docking plate. Altius also provided the mass, center of mass, and moments of inertia of the test vehicles for use in the simulation.
The Robotic Operations Control (ROC) Laboratory at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) was used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the EPM mechanism and the validity of the Astroscale simulation. The ROC features controllable vehicles riding an air bearing atop a large granite table, surrounded by motion sensing cameras to track the position and velocity of the vehicles.
Results are presented which demonstrate the utility of the simulation in predicting the position, velocity, and attitude of the engagement dynamics. A novel extension of the 1-D force measurements into the 2-D engagements dramatically improved the resulting match between simulation and experiment.
SSC23-P3-24 Poster
Simulation and Experimental Validation of an Electropermanent Magnetic CaptureSystem
Utah State University, Logan, UT
A critical enabling technology for on-orbit servicing is the secure yet reversable capture of a client vehicle so that it can be released after being maneuvered or otherwise serviced. Astroscale has demonstrated on-orbit capture and release with a permanent magnetic capture mechanism and a mechanical release on their ELSA-d mission. Altius Space Machines (Altius) have created an alternative capture and release solution with their patented technology featuring electropermanent magnet (EPM) elements. An EPM capture mechanism can alternately a) establish a permanent magnetic field for capture of a client vehicle and b) eliminate this magnetic field for release of the client vehicle. Altius and Astroscale partnered to test this technology.
Astroscale developed a 3-degree of freedom (3-DoF) simulation using rigid body collision equations to characterize the dynamics of Altius Space Machines’ system. In these engagements, a servicing vehicle uses an EPM mechanism to capture a client vehicle equipped with a ferromagnetic docking plate. Altius provided magnetic field data comprising a combination of measured and simulated magnetic field data between the EPM capture mechanism and the ferromagnetic docking plate. Altius also provided the mass, center of mass, and moments of inertia of the test vehicles for use in the simulation.
The Robotic Operations Control (ROC) Laboratory at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) was used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the EPM mechanism and the validity of the Astroscale simulation. The ROC features controllable vehicles riding an air bearing atop a large granite table, surrounded by motion sensing cameras to track the position and velocity of the vehicles.
Results are presented which demonstrate the utility of the simulation in predicting the position, velocity, and attitude of the engagement dynamics. A novel extension of the 1-D force measurements into the 2-D engagements dramatically improved the resulting match between simulation and experiment.
