Speaker
Description
In-orbit servicing (IOS) adoption is being hindered by a lack of standardized interfaces and simple capture/attachment mechanisms, transforming all missions into tailored & complex operations. The difficulty of standardizing interfaces in a nascent and highly dynamic market is another major bottleneck holding back its growth. Moreover, reuse of the servicing spacecraft, a critical capability for cost reduction of these operations, is very limited due to (a) immobilization of the asset during the life extension or deorbit service, and (b) high fuel consumption per service due to typically large relocation/displacement of the multi-ton servicer to reach a new target.
The proposed talk by ArcSpace will introduce a welded interface subsystem technology, adapted to standard-interface-less capture and module attachment operations (life extension pod, deorbiting propulsion/sail) onboard a servicing spacecraft onto a target in-orbit client, allowing highly scalable servicing of both prepared/unprepared spacecraft with minimal complexity (fully passive-passive, high-strength, durable interface). The Electron Beam (EB) technology developed by the company will be introduced, which is currently at TRL6 and in preparation for an in-orbit demonstration mission. The lap-weld operation between the servicer-mounted interface plate and a target spacecraft’s exposed metallic surface, performed by ArcSpace and partners in a ground high-vacuum testbed, will be demonstrated via a short video.
The ConOps and technical specifications of weld-interface capture operations will then be described via a tradeoff with other capture technologies (robotic gripper, multi-arm). Following, the in-orbit servicing economics of weld-interface module attachment operations will be developed, for 2 specific use-cases: GEO life extension, and deorbiting of malfunctioning constellation spacecraft (1200km altitude), achieving respectively <20M€ and <6M€ per service even with realistic >50M€ servicing spacecraft MAIT and launch costs. The presentation will conclude with an overview of this new capability in the current context of proliferated mega-constellations and the need to bridge the interface standardization gap to ensure a safe and sustainable use of Earth’s orbit.