Impact evaluation of in-space additive manufacturing and recycling technologies for on-orbit servicing

Sears, Patrick

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/101237 Copy

Description

Title

Impact evaluation of in-space additive manufacturing and recycling technologies for on-orbit servicing

Author(s)

Sears, Patrick

Issue Date

2018-04-27

Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)

Ho, Koki

Department of Study

Aerospace Engineering

Discipline

Aerospace Engineering

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

M.S.

Degree Level

Thesis

Keyword(s)

• On-Orbit Servicing
• Additive Manufacturing
• Space Systems
• Modularized Satellite
• 3D Printing
• Simulation
• Geostationary orbit

Abstract

This thesis proposes an integrated simulation tool to evaluate the impact of future in-space additive manufacturing (ISAM) and recycling technologies on the responsiveness of an on-orbit servicing (OOS) infrastructure to random failures of satellites distributed over an orbit. The considered OOS infrastructure is composed of a mothership and a servicer (i.e., daughtership); the mothership serves as a depot for spares, whereas the servicer travels with the spares to randomly failed satellites and provides a service. All satellites are assumed to be modularized, and thus the service type considered within the infrastructure is the replacement of a failed module with a new spare one. Additionally, an ISAM facility can be added to the mothership, which can scavenge material that makes up the failed module. This obtained feedstock from failed modules, along with raw material supplied from Earth, could be used to manufacture a new spare. The key parameters in this analysis include the technology level of ISAM, in terms of the types of material it can manufacture, and the scavenge rate, defined as the percent of material mass able to be recycled from the failed module to the new module. The two metrics for evaluation are the required resupply launch mass to the mothership and the average waiting time of the satellites before it is serviced. Simulations results showed that the ISAM and recycling technology provides a large impact in terms of both reduction in resupply launch mass and responsiveness of its service to the randomly failed satellites.

Graduation Semester

2018-05

Type of Resource

text

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http://hdl.handle.net/2142/101237

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2018 Patrick Sears

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