Outcomes of the PERIOD project on In-Space Manufacturing, Assembly and Refuelling Technologies
Stéphane Estable, Ingo Ahrns, Ralf Regele, Marko Jankovic, Wiebke Brinkmann, Jeremi Gancet, A.M. Barrio, Pierre Leiter, Francisco J. Colmenero, Annelies Ampe, others, Björn Ordoubadian, Apostolos Chamos, Romain Caujolle, Daniel Silveira, Isabel Soto, Mark Shilton, Torsten Vogel, Sebastian Bartsch, Marc Manz
In Journal of Physics: Conference Series, IOP Publishing, volume 2526 - 12th EASN International Conference on "Innovation in Aviation & Space for opening New Horizons" 18/10/2022 - 21/10/2022 Barcelona, Spain, number 1, pages ---, Jun/2023.
Abstract
:
Traditionally, satellites and other space-specific assemblies (e.g., antennas, spacecraft,
etc.) are built on Earth and then sent into orbit. New approaches are pursuing direct on-orbit
manufacturing and assembly using robotics, autonomy, and modularity. The advantages are
many, ranging from virtually unlimited overall volume and design of large satellite antennas to
numerous options for building larger space infrastructures such as large reflectors and modular
space stations. In addition, in-space manufacturing and assembly (ISMA) technologies can
enable the upgrade and repair of existing spacecraft and satellites already in orbit, promoting the
sustainable use of space through plug-and-play modularity. The PERIOD project is pursuing a
concept in which an orbital demonstrator is being developed for satellite manufacturing and
assembly, as well as docking and refuelling experiments. This paper describes the background
of the development, the PERASPERA building block technologies ESROCOS (European Space
Robotics Control and Operating System), ERGO (European Robotic Goal-Oriented Autonomous
Controller) and InFuse (Data Fusion) used, the test setup of the demonstrator and first results.
The successful implementation and validation of ISMA technologies will lead to the generation
of independent European capacities allowing Europe to build future orbital infrastructure and to
be competitive on the ISMA markets
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