Rescuing a stranded satellite in space -experimental robotic capture of non-cooperative satellites-

Abstract

Increased space activity has frequently caused satellites to enter the wrong orbits for their missions and become stranded due to rocket failure. Therefore, a rescue system is needed to tow them back to their appropriate orbits. Manipulator capture using visual servoing is one of the most promising ways to capture a stranded satellite with no mechanical interface or visual marker. A study is being conducted to design a manipulator-based capturing system that focuses on the final tracking and capturing of non-cooperative targets and allows for special aspects, such as lighting and available computing power in space. This paper presents the results of our experiments and an explanation of the system. © 2006 The Japan Society for Aeronautical and Space Sciences.