Advanced orbital servicing capabilities development

Abstract

The potential servicing requirements of the Space Station and associated free-flying platforms are identified and analyzed; the selected servicing tasks encompass orbital maneuver vehicle refueling, reaction-control subsystem thruster module replacement, and body-mounted radiator changeout. Attention is presently given to the commonality of all servicing activities, the definition of servicing interfaces, and the roles played by automation and robotics. The servicing concepts for each representative servicing task were selected on the basis of a weighed combination of seven factors: safety, productivity, relative cost, mission effectiveness, design flexibility and simplicity, and development status.