On-Orbit Servicing System Architectures for Proliferated Low-Earth-Orbit Constellations

Luu, Michael; Hastings, Daniel E.

doi:10.2514/1.a35393

Cited by 7 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 22 publications

(14 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Another potential maintenance approach is to service these satellites on orbit (On-Orbit Servicing, OOS) [9,10].…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The validity of the general OOS concept has been shown in Refs. [9,11,12]. For instance, Hatty [12] analyzed the economical viability of extending the operational period of Landsat 7 by a robotic spacecraft, OSAM-1, and compared it to the cost of replacing the satellite.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For instance, Hatty [12] analyzed the economical viability of extending the operational period of Landsat 7 by a robotic spacecraft, OSAM-1, and compared it to the cost of replacing the satellite. Luu and Hastings [9] focused on LEO constellations and explored a tradespace where OOS could be beneficial. Some flight demonstrations for essential technologies for OOS were also performed [13,14].…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Analysis of Cooperative and Non-Cooperative Architectures for Multi-Plane On-Orbit Refueling

Ikeya¹,

Ho²

2023

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

As many satellite constellations are proposed, deployed, and operated, their maintenance becomes increasingly important to provide satisfactory services; therefore, on-orbit refueling to spacecraft has become one of the most promising technologies for realizing more sustainable space development. This paper develops an analytical model to examine two types of mission architectures for multi-target on-orbit refueling missions: a non-cooperative architecture and a cooperative architecture. In the (rather conventional) non-cooperative refueling architecture, a servicer spacecraft visits passive targets one by one, whereas, in the cooperative refueling architecture, both the servicer and the targets can actively maneuver to complete refueling cooperatively. This paper analytically compares the fuel mass required in each architecture to support the decision-making process of mission architects. Furthermore, the condition under which the cooperative architecture becomes more efficient than the non-cooperative architecture is analytically derived. The sensitivities of this condition against key mission parameters, such as the number of targets and their inclination, are also analyzed through a case study of multi-plane multi-target on-orbit refueling in low Earth orbits.

show abstract

“…Another potential maintenance approach is to service these satellites on orbit (On-Orbit Servicing, OOS) [9,10].…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Analysis of Cooperative and Non-Cooperative Architectures for Multi-Plane On-Orbit Refueling

Ikeya¹,

Ho²

2023

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Docking with non-cooperative targets is also a critical part of on-orbit servicing (OOS) and active debris removal (ADR) missions, see e.g., [1][2][3][4]. In 2021, Northrop Grumman's MEV-2 satellite successfully docked to another satellite, Intelsat 10-02, to extend its life, thereby demonstrating the potential for OOS [5].…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Learning Reference Governor for Constrained Spacecraft Rendezvous and Proximity Maneuvering

Ikeya

Liu

Girard

et al. 2023

Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Spacecraft automated rendezvous, proximity maneuvering, and docking (ARPOD) play significant roles in many space missions, including on-orbit servicing and active debris removal. Precise modeling and prediction of spacecraft dynamics can be challenging due to the uncertainties and perturbation forces in the spacecraft operating environment and due to the multilayered structure of its nominal control system. Despite this complication, spacecraft maneuvers need to satisfy required constraints (thrust limits, line-of-sight cone constraints, relative velocity of approach constraints, etc.) to ensure safety and achieve ARPOD objectives. This paper considers an application of a learning-based reference governor (LRG) to spacecraft ARPOD operations to enforce constraints without relying on a dynamic model of the spacecraft during the mission. Similar to the conventional reference governor (RG), the LRG is an add-on supervisor to a closed-loop control system, serving as a prefilter on the command generated by the ARPOD planner. The LRG modifies, if it becomes necessary, the reference command to a constraint-admissible value to enforce specified constraints. The LRG is distinguished, however, by the ability to rely on learning instead of an explicit model of the system; and it guarantees constraints’ satisfaction during and after the learning. In this paper, the LRG is applied to the control of combined translational and rotational motions of a chaser spacecraft, and three case studies with different sets of safety constraints and thruster assumptions are used to demonstrate the benefits of the LRG in ARPOD missions.

show abstract

Reliability analysis of deep space satellites launched 1991–2020: Bulk population and deployable satellite performance analysis

Grile,

Bettinger

2024

Quality & Reliability Eng

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Flight data for deep space satellites launched and operated between 1991 and 2020 is analyzed to generate various reliability metrics. Satellite reliability is first estimated by the Kaplan‐Meier estimator, then parameterized through the Weibull distribution. This general process is applied to a general satellite data set that included all deep space satellites launched between 1991 and 2020, as well as two data subsets. One subset focuses on deployable satellites, while the other introduces a methodology of normalizing satellite lifetimes by satellite design life. Results from the general data set prove deep space satellites suffer from infant mortality while the results from the deployable data subset show deployable deep space satellites are only reliable over short periods of time. Results from the design life normalized data set give promising results, with satellites having a relatively high chance of reaching their design life. Available information regarding specific modes of failure is also leveraged to generate a percent contribution to overall satellite failure for eight distinct failure modes. Satellite failure due to crashing, in‐space propulsion failure, and telemetry system failure are proven to drive both early in life failure and later in life failure, making them the main causes of decreased reliability.

show abstract

On-Orbit Servicing System Architectures for Proliferated Low-Earth-Orbit Constellations

Cited by 7 publications

References 22 publications

Analysis of Cooperative and Non-Cooperative Architectures for Multi-Plane On-Orbit Refueling

Analysis of Cooperative and Non-Cooperative Architectures for Multi-Plane On-Orbit Refueling

Learning Reference Governor for Constrained Spacecraft Rendezvous and Proximity Maneuvering

Reliability analysis of deep space satellites launched 1991–2020: Bulk population and deployable satellite performance analysis

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About