Miniature docking mechanism for CubeSats
| Autor: | Francesco Branz, Alessandro Francesconi, Francesco Sansone, Lorenzo Olivieri |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2020 |
| Předmět: |
020301 aerospace & aeronautics
CubeSat Docking mechanisms On-Orbit Servicing Computer science business.industry Aerospace Engineering 02 engineering and technology 01 natural sciences 0203 mechanical engineering Docking (molecular) 0103 physical sciences Aerospace engineering business 010303 astronomy & astrophysics |
| Zdroj: | Acta Astronautica. 176:510-519 |
| ISSN: | 0094-5765 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.actaastro.2020.06.042 |
| Popis: | This paper presents the design and characterization of a miniature docking mechanism for nanosatellites. Potential applications are several, including servicing of orbital vehicles (e.g. refuelling, components replacement, deorbiting or reboosting) and assembly of large structures (e.g. telescopes, antennas). The mechanism responds to the constant demand of enabling technologies from the booming small satellites market. The developed system has a traditional probe–drogue configuration; it is equipped with a sensor to detect contact and a single servo-actuator to lock the connection. The simple, though effective, design fills a relevant gap in the field of nanosatellite technologies. Numerical simulations have been conducted to evaluate the dynamics of docking procedures and to estimate loads exchanged at contact. Experimental results validate the simulations and prove the high tolerance to angular and linear (lateral) misalignment. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
|
Full Text from ScienceDirect