This page provides an overview of both research themes under which our research projects are conducted: (1) Spacecraft Rendezvous and Proximity Operations and (2) Spacecraft Formation Flying.
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Spacecraft Rendezvous and Proximity Operations
Spacecraft rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO) refers to the process of maneuvering a chaser spacecraft in close vicinity to a target spacecraft, typically for docking, visual inspection, or robotic capture purposes. Autonomous RPO is a key enabling technology for complex and risky mission concepts that involve multiple spacecraft, such as on-orbit servicing, in-space assembly and orbital debris removal. Because of the short time scale and small separation distances involved with RPO maneuvers, it is common practice to ignore orbital mechanics effects. This simplification allows the experimental validation of RPO maneuvers on the laboratory’s Spacecraft Proximity Operations Testbed (SPOT); an air-bearing friction-free gravity offset testbed.
Carleton’s Spacecraft Robotics and Control Lab research activities in this theme are focused on four pillars, which ultimately feed one another to accomplish fully autonomous and integrated RPO maneuvers.
Computer Vision.
Based on vision sensors, this pillar focuses on developing relative pose determination techniques, 3D model reconstruction, segmentation, and component identification.
Guidance. The research within this pillar is centered on the real-time motion planning to accomplish rendezvous maneuvers, while avoiding any collision with either the target and/or obstacles.
Control. The objective of the work within this pillar is to develop advanced control laws to accurately track the desired trajectory, as specified by the guidance system, regardless of external perturbations and parametric uncertainties.
Robotics. The fourth pillar, robotics research, is related to the planning and execution of robotic arm maneuvers, mostly for capturing and manipulating a spinning target.
Spacecraft Formation Flying
Spacecraft formation flying involves multiple spacecraft working together in a coordinated fashion, often to achieve a common scientific or operational goal. Similarly to RPO, the spacecraft in formation are usually close to each other, but are not aiming to dock or interact physically. Instead, they first establish and maintain a fixed relative position to optimize their collective performance, like for scientific observations, or to form a synthetic aperture for large-scale telescopes. Reconfiguration maneuvers necessary to meet the scientific objectives are also performed. Because of the larger separation distances and longer maneuvering time scale involved, orbital mechanics effects cannot be neglected. As a results, the validation of the original contributions in this field is limited to numerical simulations and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) facilities, such as the lab’s GPS-based formation flying HIL testbed.
Carleton’s Spacecraft Robotics and Control Lab research activities in this theme are centered around the development of innovative guidance, navigation, and control systems enabling complex orbital maneuvers.