Robotic Reassembly of Large Spacecraft Structures on Orbit

Apollo 11 Postdoctoral Fellowships at Purdue - Proposal
Kawai Kwok, Associate Professor

This collaborative proposal, led by Dr. Kawai Kwok (AAE) and Dr. Yu She (IE), aims to establish the foundational materials joining and robotic manipulation technologies to enable local and on-demand assembly and reconfiguration of large space structures. Transporting large and delicate spacecraft to orbit as integral units is faced with payload space availability and launch survival challenges. The ability to locally assemble and disassemble primary structures from building-block elements on site will lower the logistical footprint and vulnerability of the supply chain.

Lightweight spacecraft constructed from thermoset composites involve significant surface preparation or structural modification at the joining locations. Thermoplastic composites, on the other hand, can be welded thermos-mechanically, offering an attractive route for automation. To make assembly of primary structures viable in space environments with mass, volume, and power constraints, materials and equipment involved in the assembly operation must be minimized. This project seeks postdoctoral talents to develop robotic systems for assembling and disassembling large truss structures from thermoplastic composite elements in space environments.

Research goals

  1. Design of mechanical robotic arms for gripping, positioning, orienting, and welding. The robotic arms will manipulate structural elements without damage and apply sufficient mechanical pressure during welding.
  2. Development of a sensory perception scheme for the robotic system. The integrated sensor will enable tactile feedback and reactive control when manipulating structural elements.
  3. Development of a gravity compensation testbed for simulating robotic operations in microgravity condition. The testbed will allow probing of gravitational effects on the various degrees of freedom of the robotic system.

Expected Deliverables

  1. Proof-of-Concept Prototype: A robotic system with sensing and manipulation capabilities to demonstrate assembly of a composite truss and prove the proposed concept.
  2. Gravity Compensation Test Platform: A generic experimental apparatus for compensating gravitational effects while preserving the kinematics of the robots.
  3. The postdoctoral fellow is expected to publish journal articles, conference papers, and apply for patents when suitable.

Affiliated Faculty

Associate Professor Kawai Kwok, School of Aeronautics and Astronautics; and Assistant Professor Yu She, Edwardson School of Industrial Engineering 

Purdue University

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