Space Payload for Inertial De-spin Efficient Effects (SPIDEE) for Reusable On-Orbit Attachment

The Space Payload for Inertial De-spin Efficient Effects (SPIDEE) is an electroadhesion-based general purpose in-space attachment payload ideally suited for docking, augmentation, mobility, and in-space assembly missions that does not require pre-preparation of the attachment surface. Built around eTAPTM (electrical Thin Attachment Pad), SPIDEE supports missions to attach to, detumble, and provide space mobility to defunct satellites and/or rocket bodies. eTAP's low power, reusability, and flexibility make it ideal as an all-purpose attachment and docking technology for the upcoming space challenge of reducing, reusing, and recycling in-orbit debris and/or assets. eTAP adheres to virtually all materials that are used in space, can conform to irregular surfaces, is low power, requires no substrate preparation, has enhanced performance in vacuum, is temperature agnostic, and leaves no residue. Existing on-orbit attachment and/or docking methodologies tend to fall into two camps: either highly optimized for a single application (often requiring pre planned docking points), or large and complex enough to handle the wide variety of resident space objects (RSOs) that may be of interest. eTAP occupies a unique middle ground: it is a simple, flexible alternative that adheres to virtually any space material, providing unique and complementary advantages to alternatives based on optical sensing, magnetics, "gecko" technology, adhesives, and/or mechanical grappling. Here we present data on dynamic testing representing satellite and rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO) docking interactions and modeling of forces and torques encountered during on-orbit operations and verification that eTAP can meet those requirements for a wide variety of target spacecraft masses and dimensions. SPIDEE interfaces enable ease of integration to a wide variety of small satellite vehicles, from 3U CubeSats to ESPA-class servicing craft. Such a vehicle that can attach itself to others becomes a reusable small satellite platform—limited only by its available propellant—with the capability to cost-effectively address orbital debris remediation, as well as extend the life of operational satellites. In addition, the inclusion of other functionality as part of the payload, e.g. space domain awareness sensors, allows for mission augmentation on satellites never intended for it. Additional mission applications enabled by eTAP include on-demand in-space assembly, refueling, and robotic end-effector augmentation.