The present invention relates to a service satellite having a body, a controller and a docking unit consisting of a telescopic arm mounted on a 6-DOF parallel manipulator and two additional gripping arms. The telescopic arm deploys from the end effector plate of the 6-DOF manipulator and is equipped with a rapid closure pair of digits at its free extremity. The telescopic arm provides a large work space for capturing the launch adaptor ring of a client spacecraft even in the presence of client tumbling. The 6-DOF parallel manipulator is equipped with force sensors and can accommodate post capturing relative motion through active compliance control and controlled de-tumbling, avoiding the generation of high forces in the telescopic arm, following a control method proposed herein. After relative rate annihilation, the telescopic arm retracts and the client ring is secured on the end effector plate of the 6-DOF manipulator with the help of a pair of clamps. When the ring is secured and clamped on the end effector plate, the two additional gripping arms deploy and secure a rigid connection on the launcher ring on two, equally spaced locations on the ring. In that way the docking connection between the service satellite and the client finally comprises three equally spaced locations on the launcher ring, guaranteeing the stack rigidity needed for either station keeping, servicing operations or de-orbiting thruster burns.
SYSTEM FOR SATELLITE DOCKING FOR EXTENSION OF ITS USEFUL LIFE, OR FOR ORBIT MODIFICATION, INCLUDING SATELLITE DE-ORBITING AND ASSOCIATED CONTROL METHOD FOR SATELLITE DOCKING
SYSTEM ZUR SATELLITENANDOCKUNG ZUR VERLÄNGERUNG SEINER LEBENSDAUER ODER ZUR ORBITMODIFIZIERUNG, EINSCHLIESSLICH VERLASSEN DES ORBITS VON SATELLITEN, UND ZUGEHÖRIGES STEUERUNGSVERFAHREN ZUR SATELLITENANDOCKUNG
SYSTÈME D'AMARRAGE DE SATELLITE POUR L'EXTENSION DE SA DURÉE DE VIE UTILE OU POUR LA MODIFICATION D'ORBITE, Y COMPRIS LE RETRAIT D'ORBITE DE SATELLITE ET PROCÉDÉ DE COMMANDE D'AMARRAGE DE SATELLITE ASSOCIÉ
2022-10-19
Patent
Electronic Resource
English
IPC: | B64G Raumfahrt , COSMONAUTICS |
European Patent Office | 2021
|Satellite-to-satellite on-orbit docking and locking device
European Patent Office | 2015
|Autonomous satellite docking system
AIAA | 2001
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