Toward Open-Source and Modular Space Systems with ATMOS
Pedro Roque, Sujet Phodapol, Elias Krantz, Jaeyoung Lim, Joris Petrus Martinus Verhagen, Frank J. Jiang, David Dörner, Huina Mao, Gunnar Tibert, Roland Siegwart, Ivan Stenius, Jana Tumova, Christer Fuglesang, Dimos V. Dimarogonas
AI summary
Problem
Testing autonomous spacecraft operations on Earth is hindered by the difficulty of simulating microgravity, while existing facilities are often costly, non-modular, and lack open-source software, complicating replication and real-world deployment.
Approach
The authors developed ATMOS, a free-flying platform that uses air bearings and thrusters on a leveled epoxy floor to mimic spacecraft dynamics, paired with an open-source PX4/ROS 2 software-in-the-loop simulation framework.
Key results
- Design of a low-cost, modular free-flying platform using commercial off-the-shelf components
- Development of PX4Space, an open-source simulation framework with seamless hardware-software transfer
- Demonstration of control and planning methodologies for frictionless free-flying platforms
- Public release of complete hardware designs and software repositories for reproducible research
Why it matters
It lowers the barrier to entry for space robotics research by providing a standardized, open platform for validating autonomous systems before costly orbital missions.
Abstract
In the near future, most deployed spacecraft will be autonomous. Their tasks will involve autonomous rendezvous and proximity operations (RPOs) with large structures, such as inspection, assembly, and maintenance of orbiting space stations, as well as human-assistance tasks over shared workspaces. Yet, testing these capabilities remains challenging since microgravity conditions are difficult to simulate on Earth. Free-flying platforms, which replicate microgravity environments through nearly frictionless planar motion, have been used to provide a way to easily test and experiment on these systems without being in orbit. To promote replicable and reliable scientific results for autonomous control of spacecraft, we present the design of a space robotics platform based on open-source and modular software and hardware—the autonomy testbed for multipurpose orbiting systems (ATMOS). ATMOS uses thrusters and air bearings to achieve near-frictionless motion, thereby simulating spacecraft dynamics in two dimensions and enabling realistic testing of navigation and control algorithms on Earth. The simulation software provides a software-in-the-loop architecture that seamlessly transfers simulated results to the hardware. Our results provide an insight into the performance of such a system, including comparisons of hardware and software results, as well as control and planning methodologies for controlling free-flying platforms.