Generating feasible trajectories for autonomous on-orbit grasping of spinning debris in a useful time

Abstract

The grasping and stabilization of a spinning, noncooperative target satellite by means of a free-flying robot is addressed. A method for computing feasible robot trajectories for grasping a target with known geometry in a useful time is presented, based on nonlinear optimization and a look-up table. An off-line computation provides a data base for a mapping between a four-dimensional input space, to characterize the target motion, and an N-dimensional output space, representing the family of time-parameterized optimal robot trajectories. Simulation results show the effectiveness of the data base for computing grasping maneuvers in a useful time, for a sample range of spinning motions. The debris object consists of a satellite with solar appendages in Low Earth Orbit, which presents collision avoidance and timing challenges for executing the task.