Self-assembling wireless autonomously reconfigurable module design concept

Guidance Navigation and Control for Autonomous Multiple Spacecraft Assembly: Analysis and Experimentation

“…The works of [1][2][3][4] address specifically the problem of a system's evolution and its control. In [5], more emphasis is given to a potential solution for the wireless connectivity of different parts intended for the assembly of a bigger spacecraft, where a Wi-Fi bridge acts as the only real "assembly." Furthermore, wireless capability is becoming a more relevant option for exchanging data amongst close proximity spacecraft which eventually dock to each other (see [6]).…”

Microgravity Demonstrations of Flux Pinning for Station-Keeping and Reconfiguration of CubeSat-Sized Spacecraft

“…However, due to the unpowered passive stability that flux pinning can provide, it also has many potential applications for the assembly and reconfiguration of modular space structures [4] and spacecraft formations [5]. Current approaches to autonomous docking of space vehicles [6,7], as well as spacecraft reconfiguration and formation flying [8][9][10], rely heavily on active controllers. However, a permanent magnet flux-pinned to a superconductor experiences a passive restoring force that attracts it to the position and orientation it held when the superconductor first cooled below its critical temperature.…”

Simulation of Multibody Spacecraft Reconfiguration through Sequential Dynamic Equilibria

“…Often, proposed solutions to this problem involve a combination of multibody dynamics, multivariable controls, docking hardware and algorithms, state estimation, and the relative orbital dynamics of formation flight, expressed as a tracking problem. 1,2,3,4,5,6 These approaches incorporate interactions between many vehicles, sensors, and actuators, and thus may be both computation-and power-intensive, with many potential points of failure. With the goal of adding robustness, determinacy, and power savings to the reconfiguration process, we have proposed that modular spacecraft designs include the capability to alter their kinematic properties.…”