Jena-Optronik sensors allow fully automated docking of unmanned transporters with the International Space Station (ISS)

Citation

(2008), "Jena-Optronik sensors allow fully automated docking of unmanned transporters with the International Space Station (ISS)", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 80 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/aeat.2008.12780eaf.007

Jena-Optronik sensors allow fully automated docking of unmanned transporters with the International Space Station (ISS)

Article Type: Mini features From: Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology: An International Journal, Volume 80, Issue 5

First docking process has been completed successfully. From 2009, European and Japanese Space Agencies are planning numerous transport missions to the ISS for those Jena-Optronik is the provider of the Rendezvous and Docking Sensors (RVS).

Through the docking of the first Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) “Jules Verne” of the European Space Agency ESA with the ISS Europe undergoes a premiere in space. The RVS of Jenoptik allow for this fully automated process in a height of 350 km. With the recent docking of the ATV, the whole mission is a success for the 41 international project partners and the European Space Agency.

When from May 2009, the number of the permanent crew members of the ISS increases from today three to then six an enlarged demand in supply flights emerges which cannot only be covered by American and Russian missions. The European and Japanese Space Agencies are currently planning at large five, respectively, seven flights with their unmanned transport vehicles to the ISS. The next flight of an ATV is already planned for 2009. Each ATV is able to transport payload of up to seven tons such as scientific experiments, food and fuel.

Both for the transport vehicles of the European Space Agency as well as for the Japanese missions Jena-Optronik is the provider of the Rendezvous Sensors. By the end of 2004, the Jenoptik subsidiary Jena-Optronik received a long-term supply contract for Rendezvous Sensors from EADS SPACE Transportation, general contractor for the European supply vehicle. After the successful termination of the development work, the first two sensors have already been provided in 2004.

Demanding requirements on robustness, reliability and accuracy of the system.

The start of the first ATV with the RVS of Jena Optronik took place on March 9th 2008. With the help of a two-stage Ariane-5-ES rocket the ATV has been started from the European Spaceport Kourou in French Guiana and been separated in a height of 272 km at a speed of 7.45 km/s. From its parking orbit in a distance of 2,000 km from the ISS the ATV has already completed two demonstration flights up to eleven meters from the ISS.

The automated docking is proceeded with the help of the RVS TGM (telegoniometer) und RVS VDM (videometer). From a distance of around 3,000 m the system RVS is able to measure the distance and approaching direction of the ATV to the ISS: RVS sends laser beams as short light pulses, a reflector system in the RVS channels these light pulses to the ISS. On the Russian module “Zvezda” of the ISS, the ATV is docking with, special reflectors are installed - comparable to the back lights of a car, but far more precise and thus more efficient - which blast back the laser light.

This light is re-captured by the RVS. From the time difference between the first sent and then re-captured light pulse and the viewing direction of the reflector system it will then be calculated how far the two space vehicles are remoted to each other, which relative speed they have and in which angle they are resting to each other so that a pinpointed and secure docking of the supply vehicle can finally be allowed.

Jena-Optronik already advances the RVS laser technologies for future space missions: Since April 2007, the current project in new Imaging Lidar Technologies by order of the European Space Agency ESA is in the second development stage. Jena-Optronik received the acceptance for the first, eight months lasting phase A of the study in May 2006. In the second development phase, technologies using laser radiation in the near infrared range was tested upuntil this summer (2008). The results are supposed to slip in ExoMars mission. Amongst others, samples taken from the soil of the mars will be sent back in the orbit of the Red Planet in a small container of the size of a hand heel.

The Imaging Lidar sensor measures the relative position of container and mother ship in the mars orbit from a distance of five kilometers to the “re-capture” and delivers the required distance and angle data for orbit corrections and the actual docking process.

Details available from: Jena-Optronik GmbH, Tel.:+49 3641 200-255, Fax:+49 3641 200-222.