Low-cost Approach of Ground-based GNC experiments of distributed space systems

Robotics facilities have a long history in the development of space equipment, since they allow to perform tests on systems like guidance, navigation and control, visual-based navigation and docking mechanisms. Those facilities are based on two manipulators, one representing the a target satellite, the other the chaser satellite which perform a relative motion with respect to the first. This approach has been used in the past to perform tests on docking operations, visual-base navigation system to populate databases. Delft University of Technology recently developed its own robotics facility for GNC and multisatellite systems applications. It hosts two robots on a moving base, which work in synergy to extend the operational space. They operate in a dark environment, where there are lights to simulate the sun disturbance and a beamer that projects the Earth to have a representative background. The purpose of this paper is to describe the laboratory, along with the control architecture of the robots and provide some tests executed to assess the accuracy of them in tracking a given trajectory.