Assembling spacecraft in orbit is more efficient than ground assembly and launch
the verdict
INSUFFICIENT LEANING
refutedsupported
the weight of evidence
4 sources for · 0 against
Retrieved literature indicates that in-space assembly offers a space-efficient alternative to overcome launch vehicle fairing and volume constraints for large structures, but does not provide a direct general proof of superior efficiency over ground assembly in all contexts.
In-Space Services aim to introduce sustainable futuristic technology to support the current and growing orbital ecosystem. As the scale of space missions grows, there is a need for more extensive infrastructures in orbit. In-Space Assembly missions would hold one of the key responsibilities in meeting the increasing demand. In the forthcoming decades, newer infrastructures in the Earth's orbits, which are much more advanced than the International Space Station are needed for <i>in-situ</i> manufacturing, servicing, and astronomical and observational stations. The prospect of in-orbit commissioning a Large Aperture Space Telescope (LAST) has fuelled scientific and commercial interests in deep-space astronomy and Earth Observation. However, the <i>in-situ</i> assembly of such large-scale, high-value assets in extreme environments, like space, is highly challenging and requires advanced robotic solutions. This paper introduces an innovative dexterous walking robotic system for in-orbit assembly missions and considers the Large Aperture Space Telescope system with an aperture of 25 m as the use case. The top-level assembly requirements are identified with a deep insight into the critical functionalities and challenges to overcome while assembling the modular LAST. The design and sizing of an End-over-end Walking Robot (E-Walker) are discussed based on the design of the LAST and the specifications of the spacecraft platform. The E-Walker's detailed design engineering includes the structural finite element analysis results for space and earth-analogue design and the corresponding actuator selection methods. Results of the modal analysis demonstrate the deflections in the E-Walker links and end-effector in the open-loop due to the extremities present in the space environment. The design and structural analysis of E-Walker's scaled-down prototype is also presented to showcase its feasibility in supporting both in-orbit and terrestrial activities requiring robotic capabiliti
This paper introduces an innovative dexterous walking robotic system for in-orbit assembly missions and considers the Large Aperture Space Telescope system with an aperture of 25 m as the use case. The top-level assembly requirements are identified with a deep insight into the critical functionalities and challenges to overcome while assembling the modular LAST. The design and sizing of an End-over-end Walking Robot (E-Walker) are discussed based on the design of the LAST and the specifications of the spacecraft platform.
Amongst the innumerable tasks which In-Space services can expedite, this paper focuses on assembling a Large Aperture Space Telescope (LAST) in orbit. LAST would promote a series of astronomical and EO missions ( Baiocchi and Stahl 2009 , Catapult 2020). The move towards LAST commenced ever since the successful launch of the HST. Launched in 1990, the HST with a 2.4 m monolithic Primary Mirror (PM), became the ‘eye in the sky’ for any astronomer. It has helped mankind pin down the age of our cosmos, prove the existence of supermassive black holes and other numerous contributions (Hubble 2020).
Assembling a LAST on the ground is not practical given the limited fairing size of current and planned launch vehicles ( Nelson, Mast and Chanan 2013 ; Garzón et al., 2017 ). Much like the trend for planned futuristic space designs, LAST would facilitate a modular design approach for the mirror units to fit well within the fairing limits of the launcher. The modules of the LAST system are to be autonomously assembled in orbit using RAAS. Existing literature provides conceptual models of various approaches to carry out in-situ assembly missions of LAST.
This paper presents an updated design of the E-Walker for efficiently assembling a 25 m LAST in orbit. Initially, this paper elicits the top-level assembly requirements of LAST, the robotic system and the spacecraft platform. To meet the mission requirements, a seven Degrees-of-Freedom (DoF) fully dexterous E-Walker is introduced. The E-Walker draws inspiration from the Canadarm2 and the European Robotic Arm (ERA) on the ISS. The two links of the Canadarm2 are separated by a joint offset in the elbow, making it complicated for the robot arm to walk around connector ports placed in a straight line.
The spacecraft platform is a composite system inclusive of the B sc , S sc and truss modules. Throughout the paper, it is assumed that the components of the spacecraft platform remain docked. To carry out the assembly tasks in orbit, each system should meet certain requirements for a safe and precise assembly. The E-Walker has to meet certain mission-oriented goals to carry out the assembly of the 25m LAST, i.e., in terms of mobility, and pick and place operations. Table 1 presents the top-level requirements of the E-Walker. TABLE 1 Top-level requirement list for E-Walker. Sl. No Requirements R 1 The E-Walker should be able to assemble the telescope in space.
End-over-end walking robot In this paper, the robotic architecture presented to facilitate the autonomous assembly of the 25 m LAST in orbit is an End-Over-End Walking Robot (E-Walker). The choice is conclusive evidence of the extensive review by ( Nanjangud et al., 2019a ) and the proposed architecture in ( Brooks et al., 2016 ; Nanjangud et al., 2019b ; Letier et al., 2019 ; Rognant et al., 2019 ). The E-Walker’s space design is symmetric and draws inspiration from the Candarm2 and the ERA onboard the
Flow chart of assembly process (mission scenario 2b) The flowchart uses the following abbreviations: B sc - Base Spacecraft; B sc _C - Base Spacecraft Connector; C b - Connector point on truss; Ⓐ - assembles/assembling; PMS - Primary Mirror Segment; EW- End-Over-End Walker; Pos - Position. The mirror positions with their inner and outer ring positions and the corresponding connector points on the truss can be recalled from Figure 3 . The connector point numberings on the B sc can also be understood from Figure 3 .
This paper explores a mixed assembly architecture trade study for a Built On-orbit Robotically assembled Gigatruss (BORG). Robotic in-space assembly (ISA) and servicing is a crucial field to expand endeavors in space. Currently, large structures in space are commonly only deployable and must be efficiently folded and packed into a launch vehicle (LV) and then deployed perfectly for operational status to be achieved. To actualize being able to build increasingly large structures in space, this scheme becomes less feasible, being constrained by LV volume and mass requirements. ISA allows the use of multiple launches to create even larger structures. The common ISA proposals consist of either strut-by-strut or multiple deployable module construction methodologies. In this paper, a mixed assembly scheme is explored and a trade study is conducted on its possible advantages with respect to many phases of a mission: 1) manufacturing, 2) stowage and transport, 3) ISA, and 4) servicing. Finally, a weighted decision matrix was created to help compare the various advantages and disadvantages of different architectural schemes.
pmc Front Robot AI Front Robot AI 3976 frobt 101749350 Front. Robot. AI Frontiers in Robotics and AI 2296-9144 Frontiers Media SA PMC9994619 PMC9994619.1 9994619 9994619 36909364 10.3389/frobt.2023.1109131 1109131 1 Robotics and AI Original Research Built On-orbit Robotically assembled Gigatruss (BORG): A mixed assembly architecture trade study Chapin et al.
ISAM robotics truss structure deployables pmc-status-qastatus 0 pmc-status-live yes pmc-status-embargo no pmc-status-released yes pmc-prop-open-access yes pmc-prop-olf no pmc-prop-manuscript no pmc-prop-legally-suppressed no pmc-prop-has-pdf yes pmc-prop-has-supplement no pmc-prop-pdf-only no pmc-prop-suppress-copyright no pmc-prop-is-real-version no pmc-prop-is-scanned-article no pmc-prop-preprint no pmc-prop-in-epmc yes pmc-license-ref CC BY 1 Introduction Driven by cramped payload fairings, complex deployment methods, and increasing launch costs, autonomous in-space assembly (ISA) serves as a space-efficient alternative, which utilizes robots to perform intricate construction tasks.
With this, the next wave of satellites, space structures, and off-world habitats can be constructed. Development of ISA and servicing techniques is ongoing. Examples include the assembly of the International Space Station (ISS) and the robotic swapping of old or failed components with new ones retrieved from a launch fairing ( Azria and Belzile, 2013) . Continuing efforts such as On-orbit Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing (OSAM) Harbaugh (2021) 1 and Harbaugh (2022) 2 missions and the Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellites (RSGS) Saplan (2022) 3 missions are trying to push the state of the art.
This paper describes the conducted trade study to determine if a mixed assembly architecture could compare to the more commonly considered strut-by-strut or full deployable truss assembly schemes. The strut-by-strut scheme involves using single struts and assembling them to create 3D truss structures. The fully deployable truss scheme involves designing the truss to be able to fold up for launching and be deployed in-space to its full dimensions.
For the purposes of ISA, dexterous manipulation, inspection, and human aid categories are the most significant. Thus, by far, ISA activities have been demonstrated only with space stations such as the ISS and Mir and with the Space Shuttle. No ISA activities have been completed or attempted outside of low Earth orbit (LEO). As the MIR and shuttle programs have been discontinued, the ISS remains the only host of contemporary ISA demonstrations (though future missions are slated for launch and demonstration).
Research into the component assembly area has included the Commercial Infrastructure for Robotic Assembly and Services (CIRAS) project ( Wong et al., 2018) , which was led by Northrup Grumman. The project aimed to develop the capabilities for assembling square bay robotic trusses on-orbit.
In the early 2000s, NASA LaRC also investigated assembling truss structures using robots in their Automated Structures Assembly Laboratory (ASAL), where they assembled an example telescope backplane
For example, the ISS was created with a mixture of launching prefabricated modules, docking them together to assemble, and deploying large truss units such as those for the solar arrays to create the final station structure and desired functionality. 2.2 Built On-orbit Robotically assembled Gigatruss Concept The Built On-orbit Robotically assembled Gigatruss (BORG) concept is focused on testing autonomous robotic operations for assembling a hybrid truss structure consisting of deployed and strut-assembled elements. This mixed assembly approach combines the quick assembly time of a deployable structure with the small launch volume of a piece-by-piece assembly system.
With a strut-by-strut approach, unless each interface has all required pass through, which would be difficult and make them more complex, heavy, costly, and prone to failure, and then, once the structure is assembled, any additional capabilities have to be added to the structure in orbit. A fully deployable unit is already very complex to design to fold up with the maximum efficiency if it needs to fit inside an available launch vehicle, leaving very little room for additional capabilities.
This is due to the fact that launch vehicles have constrained sizes that limit the volume available. To fit into these constrained spaces, most spacecraft launched to date have employed complex deployment methods if their final deployment volume was larger than the allotted size. This, although efficient, has its challenges, especially when approaching the next generation of large space structures. To highlight this, this section and the next will showcase that when scaling structures up, fully deployable structures hit a limit to how large they can be.
The development of robust and routine execution of autonomous space-based proximity operations is a critical need for the future of space exploration and space-based business enterprise. One application of this host of activities, which includes rendezvous, capture, and docking, is on-orbit assembly and servicing of spacecraft. It is believed that the maturation of this technology could usher in a new era of space technology featuring modular construction of large spacecraft or habitats for exploration and tourism, assembly of large-aperture space telescopes unconstrained by launch vehicle siz
Large-scale space structures have taken center stage as the future of space exploration, paving the way for ambitious endeavors like sprawling solar power stations, intricate telescopes, and giant space stations. This program lies not in manual assembly, but in empowering space robots to autonomously build these structures using plans provided by dedicated on-orbit assembly planning algorithms. This paper presents a novel framework for autonomously assembling these structures using crawling mobile robots, guided by dedicated on-orbit planning algorithms. Our approach integrates the co-design o
This program lies not in manual assembly, but in empowering space robots to autonomously build these structures using plans provided by dedicated on-orbit assembly planning algorithms. This paper presents a novel framework for autonomously assembling these structures using crawling mobile robots, guided by dedicated on-orbit planning algorithms. Our approach integrates the co-design of robots and satellite to ensure stable dynamics, focusing on deployable truss beams equipped with standard interfaces that support payloads like solar panels or antennas.
By leveraging an automated planning algorithm that optimizes assembly time based on spacecraft actuator capabilities, and verifying plan execution through Finite Element Model (FEM) tools, our framework ensures both stability and accuracy. This integrated approach enables effective co-design, streamlines deployment through optimized planning, and ultimately enhances reliability by minimizing risks associated with structural integrity during assembly, resulting in a more efficient and robust space structure assembly process.
Mots clés en Co-design Automated planning On-orbit assembly Domaines Physique [physics] Mathématiques [math] Sciences de l'ingénieur [physics] Liste complète des métadonnées Fichiers et aperçu Fichier principal DTIS2025-128-AA_11229_postprint-Acceptée.pdf (3.51 Mo) Télécharger le fichier Origine Fichiers produits par l'(les) auteur(s) Licence Autorisation HAL Connectez-vous pour contacter le contributeur https://hal.science/hal-05228473 Soumis le : jeudi 28 août 2025-16:01:56 Dernière modification le : vendredi 3 octobre 2025-14:52:02 Archivage à long terme le : samedi 29 novembre 2025-19:32:30 Télécharger pour visualiser Dates et versions hal-05228473 , version 1 (28-08-2025) Licence Autorisation HAL Identifiants HAL Id : hal-05228473 , version 1 DOI : 10.1016/j.actaastro.2025.06.031 Citer Mathieu Rognant, Alexandre Albore, Nicolas Piet, Cédric Julien.
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