Speaker
Description
This presentation addresses the challenge of requirement verification and validation for safe close-proximity operations around non-cooperative targets. The outcomes are elaborated in the areas of GNC and Mission Analysis: they have been demonstrated for ClearSpace-1 (CS-1), which was used as a reference mission for rendezvous, capture, and de-orbiting of an non-cooperative target, namely the VESPA payload adapter.
Several methods for Verification and Validation (V&V) are elaborated and applied, namely:
- V&V by design is described, to show how the Concept of Operations is defined to be compliant with the requirements, the trajectories are designed to be passively safe, and active safety strategies are incorporated, along with the definition of keep-out zones, corridors, and GO/NO GO criteria;
- V&V by analysis is adopted for functional chains such as the Navigation and Control, through the use of dedicated tools;
- V&V by test exploits the combination of a prototyping and a high-fidelity simulator, to perform extensive Model-In-the-Loop Monte-Carlo campaigns.
The outcomes are intended to support the industry in the development and V&V of Active Debris Removal services. In particular, the proposed guidelines are a key contribution to the standardisation of close proximity operations for non-cooperative rendezvous missions, towards a sustainable and safe commercial application.
