Session
Advanced Technologies 3
Location
Salt Palace Convention Center, Salt Lake City, UT
Abstract
Building on previous surface attachment testing and a study of the Cambrian Works Space Payload for Inertial Despin Efficient Effects (SPIDEE) architecture carried out under AFRL support, this work presents a modular, scalable electroadhesive attachment architecture enabling rapid-response satellite servicing and de-orbit missions. Prior test and analysis campaigns provided quantified performance validation across the small satellite size range, from 3U CubeSats to ESPA-class platforms, demonstrating the scalability required for diverse time-critical servicing scenarios.
Testing validated performance under representative on-orbit conditions and dynamic scenarios. Attachment force measurements across spacecraft materials representing aluminum bus structures, composite panels, multi-layer insulation, and solar cells quantified scaled holding capacity from CubeSat-scale (50 kg) to ESPA-class (several hundred kg) targets. Vacuum chamber testing confirmed attachment force increases in space conditions compared to atmosphere. Thermal cycling validated operation from across expected orbital temperature ranges without performance degradation.
Dynamic testing demonstrated rapid-response capabilities for quick attachment to objects. Electroadhesive pads successfully arrested test articles rotating at 30 degrees per second—rates that defeat traditional mechanical grapples limited to 2-3 deg/sec. Force and torque measurements validated detumbling capability for spacecraft and rocket bodies during modeled rendezvous and proximity operations. Testing demonstrated repeatable attach-detach cycles exceeding 100 iterations without electrode degradation, confirming reusability for multi-target servicing missions where rapid reconfiguration enables sequential operations.
The modular SPIDEE architecture enables small satellite platforms with standardized mechanical, electrical, and thermal interfaces. Modular, open interfaces enable rapid reconfiguration between mission profiles—constellation maintenance, debris removal, life extension, propulsion augmentation. Power requirements remain modest even for challenging attachment scenarios. Establishing initial contact requires a few watts of power. Maintaining attachment during maneuvering requires even less. This low power budget allows servicing missions to carry sufficient propellant for multiple target visits rather than exhausting power or propellant supplies on single captures.
Progress is being made toward on-orbit validation that includes ISS-based testing to characterize atomic oxygen effects on material coatings and measure attachment forces in the plasma environment. Subsequent demonstration missions will validate operational forces achievable in orbit, culminating in a future free-flyer validation of autonomous approach, attachment, and control with an unprepared resident space object.
The combination of modular scalability, universal material compatibility, and reversible attachment enables immediate response for time-critical operations—constellation failures, collision avoidance, debris remediation— without target preparation or lengthy mission planning cycles. The presentation will summarize generalized test results demonstrating scalable performance, on-orbit validation mission plans, and operational concepts for rapid-response servicing across the small satellite domain.
Document Type
Event
Modular, Scalable Electroadhesive Technology for Rapid Response Satellite Servicing and De-Orbit
Salt Palace Convention Center, Salt Lake City, UT
Building on previous surface attachment testing and a study of the Cambrian Works Space Payload for Inertial Despin Efficient Effects (SPIDEE) architecture carried out under AFRL support, this work presents a modular, scalable electroadhesive attachment architecture enabling rapid-response satellite servicing and de-orbit missions. Prior test and analysis campaigns provided quantified performance validation across the small satellite size range, from 3U CubeSats to ESPA-class platforms, demonstrating the scalability required for diverse time-critical servicing scenarios.
Testing validated performance under representative on-orbit conditions and dynamic scenarios. Attachment force measurements across spacecraft materials representing aluminum bus structures, composite panels, multi-layer insulation, and solar cells quantified scaled holding capacity from CubeSat-scale (50 kg) to ESPA-class (several hundred kg) targets. Vacuum chamber testing confirmed attachment force increases in space conditions compared to atmosphere. Thermal cycling validated operation from across expected orbital temperature ranges without performance degradation.
Dynamic testing demonstrated rapid-response capabilities for quick attachment to objects. Electroadhesive pads successfully arrested test articles rotating at 30 degrees per second—rates that defeat traditional mechanical grapples limited to 2-3 deg/sec. Force and torque measurements validated detumbling capability for spacecraft and rocket bodies during modeled rendezvous and proximity operations. Testing demonstrated repeatable attach-detach cycles exceeding 100 iterations without electrode degradation, confirming reusability for multi-target servicing missions where rapid reconfiguration enables sequential operations.
The modular SPIDEE architecture enables small satellite platforms with standardized mechanical, electrical, and thermal interfaces. Modular, open interfaces enable rapid reconfiguration between mission profiles—constellation maintenance, debris removal, life extension, propulsion augmentation. Power requirements remain modest even for challenging attachment scenarios. Establishing initial contact requires a few watts of power. Maintaining attachment during maneuvering requires even less. This low power budget allows servicing missions to carry sufficient propellant for multiple target visits rather than exhausting power or propellant supplies on single captures.
Progress is being made toward on-orbit validation that includes ISS-based testing to characterize atomic oxygen effects on material coatings and measure attachment forces in the plasma environment. Subsequent demonstration missions will validate operational forces achievable in orbit, culminating in a future free-flyer validation of autonomous approach, attachment, and control with an unprepared resident space object.
The combination of modular scalability, universal material compatibility, and reversible attachment enables immediate response for time-critical operations—constellation failures, collision avoidance, debris remediation— without target preparation or lengthy mission planning cycles. The presentation will summarize generalized test results demonstrating scalable performance, on-orbit validation mission plans, and operational concepts for rapid-response servicing across the small satellite domain.
