Autonomous Mission for On-Orbit Servicing (AMOOS)

Starting June 9^th 2014 till August 8^th 2014, the École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS), an engineering school and HEC Montreal, a business school, both in Montreal, Quebec, Canada will hold the 27^th edition of the Space Study Program (SSP14) from the International Space University (ISU).

Indoor Virtual Mission Simulation

One of the team project offered to participants during this event aims to design a virtual scenario to demonstrate the capabilities for a modified unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) to execute autonomous on-orbit servicing missions on a Low earth Orbit (LEO) satellite. The team will execute all requirements needed for pre-mission analysis, planning, mission design and post-mission. The mission will be executed on advanced flight simulators using both software units (X-Plane STK) and hardware platform units (Helicrew, Helimod).

ÉTS Helicrew flight simulator [Img8][/caption]

Outdoor Subscale Demonstration

The team project also aims to reproduce a subscale AMOOS mission with modified commercial drones and wireless communication systems. Both new LTE and satellite communication GlobalStar technologies will be demonstrated.

The participants will design wireless networks for drone control (for urban canyon environment) and SATCOM (for remote access environments) links using communication with real satellites. The experiments will be remotely controlled from the ÉTS/LASSENA Ground Control Operation Center where the participants will plan, coordinate design, synchronize and execute the mission.

Objectives

This SSP’14 Team Project aims to produce a business plan relative to the AMOOS Mission focus on the design and exploitation of an AMOOS based UAV, to design a virtual scenario simulation in order to demonstrate the capabilities for a modified Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) to execute autonomous on-orbit servicing missions on a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite and to synchronize this virtual scenario with a real-time execution of subscale AMOOS drone mission at the surface of the earth.

The four main objectives of the AMOOS team project are:

1. Identify and formulate key space technologies of unmanned spaceplane and space robotic systems suitable for an autonomous on­-orbit servicing capable of:

• Servicing satellites in order to extend their lifetime and performance;
• Deploying small and secondary payloads in orbit;
• Capturing and/or de­orbiting large space debris and errant satellites;

2. Design a virtual scenario simulation of an autonomous orbital mission based  on an unmanned aerial system composed of drones, flight simulators, satellite communication, wireless network, robotics systems, etc.

3. Understand space debris issues and demonstrate the efficiency of orbital junk removal with an unmanned space plane embedding robotic systems.

4. Produce comprehensive reports of professional quality which might engage potential stakeholders such as space industries, space agencies, government officials, and public.

Opportunities

This team project offer many opportunities for future space technology, Canada sovereignity in outer space  and for ISU­ SSP14 students and participants.

• For future space technology:
  • Drive innovations in unmanned space exploration;
  • Reduce orbital junk and prevent human mission threats;
  • Alternative to complex, risky, and expensive manned missions;
• For Canada sovereignity in outer space:
  • Great for international cooperation in systems engineering, management, policies, and laws for outer space;
  • Great for Canada and ÉTS reputation in space activities (huge potential in R&D, industries…);
• For ISU­ SSP14 students and participants:
  • Acquire awareness, and experience for about space technology, space sustainability and unmanned space plane technologies;
  • Share great experience in interdisciplinary, intercultural, and international environment with educating and training space experts;
  

  Example of a X-37B US military drone in use. [Img15].

Rendez-vous in Montreal

We werebe pleased to receive the international participants for this unique event, the SSP14 held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.