CubeSats have the potential to drastically cut costs for future space missions, however, advancements in docking are still needed. This paper aims to look at using a Stewart Platform to achieve this goal. The objectives of this study are to simulate two CubeSats docking using a hexapod and a robotic arm while varying orientations, speed, and lighting conditions to determine if a Stewart Platform is a viable candidate for CubeSat docking. The second objective was to obtain a baseline of human controlled tests for possible future autonomous testing. To conduct these experiments a facility was created to measure and vary these test parameters. For future work tests will be conducted with several pilots.
LABORATORY EVALUATION OF DOCKING CAPABILITIES OF SMALL SPACECRAFT USING A STEWART PLATFORM
Proceedings of the 44th Annual American Astronautical Society Guidance, Navigation, and Control Conference, 2022 ; Chapter : 99 ; 1763-1776
2024-01-01
14 pages
Article/Chapter (Book)
Electronic Resource
English
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