Investigation of ADCS Components and Algorithms for CubeSat Based On-Orbit Assembly

在轨组装将是使太空旅行和商业化更加可行的下一个前沿领域。通过在太空中执行制造和装配任务，可以制造出由于体积和尺寸限制而不适合发射的大型结构。这可以实现先进的轨道结构，如更大的望远镜和太阳能阵列，以及使用更小、资源更少的发射来提高任务的操作能力的能力。虽然各个组件的动力学已经在文献中进行了研究，而且各种代理机构目前正在开发模块化航天器系统，这些系统可以连接在一起形成一个更大的结构，但缺乏对外部制造结构进行在轨装配的合适平台的研究。为了执行这一任务并保持在轨装配的低成本效益，该项目将研究和开发执行装配任务的标准化平台。具体来说，该项目将研究创建在轨装配飞行器所需的姿态确定和控制系统（ADCS）组件和算法。这将受到标准化10cm × 10cm立方体卫星格式的限制，这种格式最近越来越受欢迎，因为它在节省发射体积方面很方便。这种格式限制了完成这些任务所需的体积、功率和计算资源，因此将成为研究过程中的一个关注点。提出的方法是评估和比较在轨装配可能的控制算法，并评估当前立方体卫星硬件支持这些算法的能力。在此之后，立方体卫星的硬件可以进行修改和开发，以使用所选的控制体系结构为在轨装配提供最佳平台。这将最终形成一个完整的原型，使用空间研究小组的快速原型和实验能力，允许设计的硬件和控制器得到验证。这项工作将与小组内的其他研究领域相结合，允许与其他研究人员合作，并在项目过程中发布累积的发现。研究的最终成果是与专注于机械臂在轨控制的研究人员的潜在合作，当与立方体卫星设计相结合时，为未来的任务提供了一个完整的装配平台。

On-orbit assembly will be the next frontier in making space travel and commercialisation morefeasible. By performing manufacturing and assembly tasks in space, large scale structures can becreated which are unsuitable for launch due to volume and dimension limitations. This can enableadvanced orbital structures such as larger telescopes and solar arrays, and the ability to increase theoperational capability of missions using smaller less resource intensive launches [1]. While thedynamics of the individual components of the assembly have been examined in literature andvarious agents are currently developing modular spacecraft systems which may interface together toform a larger structure, there is a lack of research into suitable platforms for performing on-orbitassembly of externally manufactured structures.To perform this task and maintain the reduced cost benefits of on-orbit assembly, this project willinvestigate and develop a standardised platform for performing assembly tasks. Specifically, thisproject will investigate the Attitude Determination and Control System (ADCS) components andalgorithms necessary to create an on-orbit assembly vehicle. This will be constrained by thestandardised 10cm by 10cm CubeSat format which has been growing in popularity recently due to itsconvenience in saving launch volume [2]. This format presents limits on the volume, power, andcomputational resources available to complete these tasks, and will therefore be a point of interestduring research.The proposed methodology is to evaluate and compare possible control algorithms for on-orbitassembly and assess the capabilities of the current CubeSat hardware to support these algorithms.Following this the CubeSat hardware can be revised and developed to provide an optimal platformfor on-orbit assembly using the chosen control architecture. This will culminate in a full prototypeusing the rapid prototyping and experimentation capabilities of the Space Research Group, allowingthe designed hardware and controller to be verified.This work will tie in with other areas of research within the group allowing collaboration with otherresearchers, and release of cumulative findings over the course of the project. The final output ofthe research is a potential collaboration with researchers focused on on-orbit control ofmanipulators, which when combined with the CubeSat design provides a full assembly platform for future missions.