Towards Open-Source and Modular Space Systems with ATMOS

TL;DR

This paper introduces an open-source, modular space robotics laboratory designed for autonomous spacecraft control, enabling reliable simulation-to-hardware transfer and facilitating research in rendezvous, inspection, and maintenance tasks.

Contribution

It presents a novel open-source, modular framework for space robotics simulation and hardware testing, enhancing reproducibility and collaboration in autonomous spacecraft research.

Findings

Successful simulation-to-hardware transfer demonstrated

Comparative analysis of control and planning methods

Insights into hardware and software performance in space robotics

Abstract

In the near future, autonomous space systems will compose many of the deployed spacecraft. Their tasks will involve autonomous rendezvous and proximity operations with large structures, such as inspections, assembly, and maintenance of orbiting space stations, as well as human-assistance tasks over shared workspaces. To promote replicable and reliable scientific results for autonomous control of spacecraft, we present the design of a space robotics laboratory based on open-source and modular software and hardware. The simulation software provides a software-in-the-loop architecture that seamlessly transfers simulated results to the hardware. Our results provide an insight into such a system, including comparisons of hardware and software results, as well as control and planning methodologies for controlling free-flying platforms.