Space Robotic De-Tumbling of Large Target with Eddy Current Brake in Hand

Space debris has increased with recent launch missions greatly. Former active debris removal tests using space robot mainly focused on the fundamental technology of target recognition, motion control and path planning. However, robot contacts directly with the surface of targets with large mass and angular momentum will cause severe collision problems. A target de-tumbling strategy is proposed in this paper by using two manipulators. Each arm is equipped with magnetic coil, which can generate eddy current in conductive targets and gradually de-tumble rotation without contact. The three-dimension rotation model of a discarded satellite and upstage is established based on its distribution of the moment of inertia and the safe working space of the robots is calculated. By analyzing the point of application and direction of the magnetic force, an optimized de-tumbling trajectory for the robot is presented to minimize the de-tumbling time by reducing the targets’ angular momentum. At last, a simulation is processed to verify the optimized de-tumbling method.