Robotic Software Architecture for In-Space Outfitting Operations

Abstract

Space exploration is expanding into longer missions, larger payloads, and more complex operations. To make these larger scale missions a reality, it is necessary to perform assembly, construction, and maintenance tasks via a robotic workforce in addition to crewed operations. While there has been significant research into in-space assembly and manufacturing, it is primarily focused on rigid structural elements, such as ISRU printing or truss construction. Outfitting tasks, such as cable routing, are a critical step to a fully operational in-space facility. This paper seeks to provide a reduced order state model and an optimized combination of state-of-the-art robotics algorithms applied to a cable routing scenario. Simulation results are expected to advance approaches to online autonomous robotic manipulation of non-rigid elements.