Free-Flying Crew Cooperative Robots on the ISS: A Joint Review of Astrobee, CIMON, and Int-Ball Operations

TL;DR

This paper reviews the development and operation of free-flying robots on the ISS, analyzing Astrobee, CIMON, and Int-Ball to extract shared lessons and design insights for future space robotics.

Contribution

It provides the first joint analysis of these robots, highlighting convergences in design and operations, and offers lessons learned to guide future space robot development.

Findings

Shared operational experiences identified

Design convergences across different platforms

Recommendations for future space robot design

Abstract

Intra-vehicular free-flying robots are anticipated to support various work in human spaceflight while working side-by-side with astronauts. Such example of robots includes NASA's Astrobee, DLR's CIMON, and JAXA's Int-Ball, which are deployed on the International Space Station. This paper presents the first joint analyses of these robot's shared experiences, co-authored by their development and operation team members. Despite the different origins and design philosophies, the development and operations of these platforms encountered various convergences. Hence, this paper presents a detailed overview of these robots, presenting their objectives, design, and onboard operations. Hence, joint lessons learned across the lifecycle are presented, from design to on-orbit operations. These lessons learned are anticipated to serve for future development and research as design recommendations.