Autonomous Real-Time Mass Center Location and Inertia Identification for Grappling Space Robotics

Sands, Timothy

doi:10.3390/technologies13040148

Open AccessArticle

Autonomous Real-Time Mass Center Location and Inertia Identification for Grappling Space Robotics

by

Timothy Sands

^1,2

¹

Department of Mechanical Engineering (SCPD), Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA

²

Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA

Technologies 2025, 13(4), 148; https://doi.org/10.3390/technologies13040148

Submission received: 13 December 2024 / Revised: 15 March 2025 / Accepted: 21 March 2025 / Published: 8 April 2025

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Autonomous Systems and Artificial Intelligence Stage)

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Abstract

Grappling actions by space robots for the purposes of stabilizing, refueling, repair, and equipment replacement necessitate the autonomous abilities of a single grappling space robot to rapidly contend with large variations in total system inertia rapidly shifting a system’s center of mass, as targets can be massive with possibly unknown or poorly known mass inertia properties. Grappling actions yield opportunities for a novel online calculation of the time-varying location of the combined system’s center of mass. Two-norm optimal nonlinear, projection regression-based learning is implemented and juxtaposed to a comparative benchmark both qualitatively and quantitatively supported by a comparison of enhancements of Luenberger observers. Analysis precedes modeling and simulation to verify the design, and then, spaceflight experiments are proposed for the sequel to validate the simulation results. Time-varying mass locations are discerned, and the time-varying location of the mass center is revealed to be 36–95 percent different than initially assumed, and 58–317 percent corrections to inertia identification are demonstrated. Combined three-dimensional maneuvers obscures identification compared to single-axis maneuvering.

Keywords: spacecraft; space robotics satellite servicing; autonomous grapple; adaption; learning

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MDPI and ACS Style

Sands, T. Autonomous Real-Time Mass Center Location and Inertia Identification for Grappling Space Robotics. Technologies 2025, 13, 148. https://doi.org/10.3390/technologies13040148

AMA Style

Sands T. Autonomous Real-Time Mass Center Location and Inertia Identification for Grappling Space Robotics. Technologies. 2025; 13(4):148. https://doi.org/10.3390/technologies13040148

Chicago/Turabian Style

Sands, Timothy. 2025. "Autonomous Real-Time Mass Center Location and Inertia Identification for Grappling Space Robotics" Technologies 13, no. 4: 148. https://doi.org/10.3390/technologies13040148

APA Style

Sands, T. (2025). Autonomous Real-Time Mass Center Location and Inertia Identification for Grappling Space Robotics. Technologies, 13(4), 148. https://doi.org/10.3390/technologies13040148

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Autonomous Real-Time Mass Center Location and Inertia Identification for Grappling Space Robotics

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