Sponsors and Collaborators
The SPACE laboratory enables ground-based systems to mimic the conditions of a weightless satellite in space and extend the capability to design and test various guidance, navigation and control (GNC) techniques before it is flown in orbits. SPACE is a suitable approach to ground-based mobile platform technology that simultaneously permits large general motions and highly precise inertial and relative navigation and control. The lab supports comprehensive studies and hardware experiments for 6DOF motion emulation for sensing, guidance, dynamics, and control of space operations in an operationally relevant environment. SPACE is designed from the ground up to support studies, verification and validation experiments for: reducing life-cycle costs, increasing the payload sensor availability, extending on-orbit spacecraft lifetime, and improving overall spacecraft capabilities.
- Guidance, navigation, control (GNC) and sensor pointing operations
- 6-DOF motion emulation in an operationally relevant environment
- Emulate and demonstrate autonomous spacecraft proximity operations
Key Technology
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Mobile Robotics Linked to Stewart Platform for High-Fidelity 6DOF Motion emulation
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Coordinated Metrology Systems—Laboratory Truth Models for Relative/Absolute Motion
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Guidance, Navigation, and Control Theory
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Celestial Mechanics for Orbit Calculations and Formation Flying
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High-Performance Computing in the form of FPGA/GPU Architectures
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High-Fidelity Simulation Facility for UAV and Space Applications
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Optimization methodology for Optimal Control and Estimation Theory
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Computational Vision for Fusing Information for 3D Camera Imaging and Target Tracking
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Multibody and Contact Dynamics for Multi-vehicle Interactions.
- Satellite Attitude Platform (SAT)
- Reinforcement learning based control
- Swarm CubeSat GNC