Feasibility Study of a Kilometer Solar Array using Discrete Lattice Materials and Distributed Mobile Robots
- Paper number
IAC-19,D3,2B,x51100
- Year
2019
- Abstract
In this paper we present study of a notional mission for construction of an on-orbit space structure whose scale and complexity are managed by use of new approaches to material and robot systems. The proposed structure, a Kilometer Solar Array (KSA), is not novel in its morphology or function, as previous studies of on-orbit construction have been extended analytically to structures of similar scale (Bush and Mikulas 1977). However, the method by which such a large structure could economically and efficiently be constructed is central to the decades long study of on-orbit construction. While assembly of strut and node systems have been demonstrated using stationary robotic platforms (Dorsey et al. 2012), extensibility to structures larger than the fixed build envelope remains an open challenge. Recently, an approach for building modularized, space-filling lattice material system has been shown to exhibit record setting mechanical properties (Cheung, 2013), large-scale reconfigurability (Jenett et al. 2016), and mission-adaptive performance (Jenett et al. 2017). Mobile robots can be designed to leverage the local metrology of the lattice elements to achieve global precision using minimal feedback (Jenett, 2017), while performing locomotion, manipulation, and assembly tasks. Additionally, algorithmic strategies for multi-robot control have been studied and indicate that for large systems with many robots and many parts, a distributed system architecture scales more favorably than a centralized one (Costa et al. 2019). Here, we detail the application of this material-robot system to the on-orbit construction of a KSA. Logistical considerations such as launch schedules, material handling, power management, and operational behavior will be assessed. Structural considerations throughout the construction will be addressed, including the distribution of many mobile robots acting as dynamic loading conditions of a large, lightweight structure where damping is a concern. Lastly, we will describe a new approach for distributed construction whereby mobile robots and pickup station locations must be optimized to reduce build time while managing error detection and correction. Structures of this type have been studied, but never with a distributed, incremental, fungible construction system. State of the art mobile robotic construction is typically limited to meter-scale structures, and extension to large space structure will result in new applications and enable new missions.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
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