Speaker
Description
On-orbit manufacturing, assembly and recycling (OMAR) servicing entails many challenges with one of the most complex tasks being that of cooperative capture. Such challenges are related to rendezvous proximity operations, close range navigation, capture and manipulation of payloads or client spacecraft.
Robotic arms are key enablers of OMAR, providing capabilities for soft capture and berthing of cooperative and uncooperative spacecraft, including assets that have not been specifically design to be captured or serviced. Indeed robotic arms are key and critical enabler for OMAR as they increase the range of operations of on-orbit missions by providing capabilities such as:
● capture for cooperative and noncooperative objects,
● inspection and repair,
● on orbit assembly,
● spacecraft maintenance,
● refueling assistance,
● replacement of modular unit on spacecraft, rover, or payload,
● sample collection,
● payload management,
In 2016 Luxembourg put in place the SpaceResources.lu initiative aiming at positioning the country as a pioneer in the exploration and in situ resources utilisation (ISRU), pushing for strong incentives for increasingly seeking involvement of the private sector in all aspects of space.
In this context, Luxembourg-based Redwire Space Europe set the goal to develop its line of STAARK inexpensive robotic arms to address both the on-orbit servicing market and ISRU market. The STAARK robotic arms are built from a suite of modular elements enable mission engineers to optimize performance, dexterity, reach, and stowage using an interchangeable selection of joints, links, end effectors and software packages. The STAARK arms are designed to support space missions in LEO, MEO, and GEO orbits as a low cost and low lead time robotic manipulation technology.
The STAARK arm will fly on Momentus DEMO-II mission in late 2022.
This paper addresses the innovation and use cases of the STAARK robotic arm for on-orbit servicing missions.
