Abstract
The European Proximity Operations Simulator (EPOS) 2.0 located at the German Space Operations Center (GSOC) in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany, is a robotic based test facility of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) used for simulation of rendezvous and docking (RvD) processes. Hardware such as rendezvous sensors (cameras, laser scanners) or docking tools, as well as software (e.g. for navigation and control) can be tested and verified. The facility consists of two robotic manipulators with each six degrees of freedom, a linear slide of 25m length on which one robot can be moved in the laboratory, and a computer-based monitoring and control system. EPOS 2.0 allows for real-time simulations of the rendezvous and docking process during the most critical phase (separation from 25m to 0m) of proximity and docking/berthing operations.
Highlights
Test and veri cation play major roles in the preparation of space missions
For on-orbit servicing in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), the rendezvous and docking (RvD) process should be highly autonomous due to long phases where there is no contact with the ground station
We presented a detailed technical description of the European Proximity Operations Simulator (EPOS) 2.0 located at DLR-German Space Operations Center in Oberpfa enhofen, Germany
Summary
New classes of missions like on-orbit servicing (OOS) missions or other proximity operations between satellites require intensive tests of all involved systems. A possible businesscase in GEO is lifetime extension by station keeping of expensive and complex communication satellites which have run out of fuel. Motivated by this new class of missions, the European Proximity Operations Simulator (EPOS) 2.0 has been developed. It is a robotic based test facility for real-time simulation of the nal phase of an onorbit servicing mission: the mid and close range rendezvous phase and the docking phase. This paper gives a technical description of the facility and examples of utilizations and previous test campaigns and experiments
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