Requirement definition and early design of a robotic free-flyer system for a space station

Space research has been making significant progress over the past twenty-five years. The International Space Station (ISS) has served as a central platform for technological innovation in human spaceflight, while in-orbit servicing, assembly, and manufacturing (ISAM) have emerged strongly in autonomous or tele-operated spaceflight. In this framework, the IVA robotic free-flyer space system, designated as ‘MELISSAI’, which stands for Modular free-flying Elements for experiments on In-Space Servicing & Assembly on-board the International Space Station, aims at establishing a platform on the ISS for Italian and European researchers to perform research on in-space servicing and assembly, focusing on advanced robotic applications. The objective of this Master Thesis is to develop the preliminary design of the MELISSAI space system, which includes initial contextualisation, feasibility studies and preliminary design of the system. MELISSAI as a robust platform for ISAM research and advanced robotics applications, is a newly proposed free-flyer system consisting of two units, including an attitude control system, a newly developed anthropomorphic robotic arm with an end effector, an androgynous docking interface, a common electromechanical interface device, and a propulsion system using compressed air. These are the main original contributions of the thesis: 1) framing of the project in relation to existing ones; 2) division of the project into phases; 3) the study of stakeholder needs analysis 3) writing requirements according to the ECSS standard and the verification plan expected for the next phases of the project; 4) preliminary system analysis including system and subsystems modes of operations. The thesis is organized as follows: Chapter 1 provides an overview of previous projects and introduces MELISSAI; Chapter 2 indicates the study to be carried out at different stages of a space project; Chapter 3 defines the resulting requirements and the preliminary analysis of the system; Chapter 4 is the study of COTS elements and their advantages, focusing on some that will be used in MELISSAI; Chapter 5 mentions the conclusions and future developments of this thesis.