March 5, 2007: It's the year 2020, and space has never been so busy. Picture this:

In Earth orbit, a robotic maintenance ship skitters from one weather satellite to another, upgrading powerful optics that help meteorologists track dangerous storms.

Four hundred thousand kilometers away, a cargo ferry arrives at the Moon. It spots an orbiting depot, makes its approach and mates flawlessly, offloading drill heads, solar panels and other supplies for a frontier outpost at the Moon's south pole.

Meanwhile, down on the the lunar surface, mining buggies trundle along a "sensor highway" between the outpost and some nearby hills. They're harvesting lunar ice hidden in the shadows of a deep, cold crater.

Oh yeah – there's not a single human operator in this hypothetical scenario.

It's not as far-out as it sounds. All of these spacecraft and satellites, even the mining buggies, could one day operate on their own, guided not by humans but by automated rendezvous and docking technologies now in development by NASA and its partners.

Some of those technologies are about to get a field test onboard Orbital Express--a space mission managed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and a team led by engineers at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. Slated for launch this week, March 8, on an Atlas V rocket, Orbital Express will deploy two test satellites: the Autonomous Space Transport Robotic Operations (ASTRO) service vehicle, and the Next-generation serviceable satellite (NextSat).


Above: An artist's concept of ASTRO and NextSat
docking in Earth orbit. [More]

"Our goal is to demonstrate on-orbit refueling, component exchange and satellite repair--all without a human operator," says James Lee, the MSFC Automated Rendezvous and Docking Projects Lead.

In a nutshell, ASTRO will dock with NextSat and service it.

Who will pilot ASTRO? The answer is not who but what: the Advanced Video Guidance Sensor or AVGS for short. Mounted on ASTRO, the AVGS shoots infrared laser beams, which bounce off a pattern of retroreflectors on NextSat. By analyzing the reflections, ASTRO adjusts its speed and angle of approach to safely close the distance and make contact.


Above: An artist's concept of ASTRO and NextSat
exchanging components. [More]

Eight test series will be conducted during the three-month mission. ASTRO and NextSat will conduct approach and docking maneuvers from starting points up to 4.3 miles (6.9 km) away. Once docked, they'll also swap propellants and trade and install batteries--the first unassisted component exchange in space history. Tests will be conducted at different times of day to see if darkness on Earth's night side confuses the imaging system.

If Orbital Express is a success, use of autonomous rendezvous and docking systems could become a viable alternative to human-piloted missions in the next decade.

"Automated systems will take ship-to-ship mating duties off the hands of busy flight crews," says AVGS flight software project leader Keith Cornett of Marshall. "They can solve issues associated with tricky repairs and provide cost-effective options for servicing permanent satellites in orbit around the Moon or Mars."

Automated systems could also benefit surface operations, Lee notes, particularly on the airless moon where global positioning systems won't work without relays. That "sensor highway," dotting the surface with reflective markers to shine the way, could one day guide robots from place to place – surveying, sampling and laying the groundwork for human expeditions to come.

"When it comes to exploring new worlds, robots can't beat human beings for capturing the experience," Lee says. "But to make those human missions possible, we need to set the stage as completely as we can. Automation is crucial."

For more information about the Orbital Express mission, click here. And stay tuned to Science@NASA for updates about this week's launch and the mission to follow.

Author: Rick Smith | Production Editor: Dr. Tony Phillips | Credit: Science@NASA

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More to the story...

Orbital Express Space Operations Architecture -- an overview from DARPA.

Automated Rendevous and Docking (AR&D) at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center

A Test Target -- this image shows a pattern of retroreflectors used to test Automated Docking and Rendevous Technologies in ground-based labs. Photo credt: NASA/MSFC

The Flight Robotics Laboratory (FRL) at the Marshall Space Flight Center provides an on-the-ground test environment for missions like Orbital Express before they launch.

Orbital Express To Test Full Autonomy for On-Orbit Service -- (Aviation Week)

The Vision for Space Exploration

Source: Science@NASA

Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. -- The Atlas V AV-013 launch vehicle successfully rolled to the pad today at Launch Complex 41 in preparation for its planned launch on March 8. Liftoff is scheduled for 9:37 p.m. EST (0237 GMT). The launch window extends to 11:42 p.m. EST (0442 GMT). AV-013 marks the first Atlas V EELV launch for the United States Air Force as well as the first Atlas V ULA launch. Tomorrow night's launch will deliver six satellites to orbit in a complex mission for the Department of Defense Space Test Program. Live coverage of the launch will begin at approximately 9:15 p.m. Web Cast

Source: United Launch Alliance

United Launch Alliance Successfully Launches First USAF Atlas V

Atlas V Deploys Six Satellites in Support of Space Test Program

Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., March 8, 2007 – A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket successfully launched six satellites at 10:10 p.m., EST, for the U.S. Air Force, marking the first use of the Atlas for an Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program mission. Known as Space Test Program-1, the mission deployed the six satellites into two different low-Earth orbits.

"This was our ninth successful Atlas V launch and first ULA Atlas launch, but more importantly, it was the first EELV Atlas launch for the Air Force," said Michael Gass, ULA President and Chief Executive Officer. "This is a proud moment in our company's history and a significant step forward in providing our nation assured access to space using the most cost-effective means possible."

The mission used the new EELV Secondary Payload Adapter – or ESPA – which is designed to integrate multiple smaller satellites on the two EELV-class rockets. The six satellites on this mission were delivered into two distinctly different orbits.

"STP-1 required an extraordinary level of coordination and innovation to achieve the mission requirements,” said Jim Sponnick, ULA vice president of Atlas programs. “One of those innovations was the mission design to achieve the two mission orbits, which was enabled by the development of a very flexible new guidance design. The fact that the Atlas system performed so well tonight in delivering the six satellites to their prescribed orbits is a tribute to the teamwork between our Air Force customer, the Space Development & Test Wing, and men and women of the ULA team, including our suppliers from around the world."

The multiple-payload mission included Orbital Express with its two-satellite configuration and the four ESPA-class satellites. Orbital Express was provided by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and is designed to validate the technical feasibility of robotic, autonomous on-orbit refueling and reconfiguration of satellites for future national security and commercial space programs.

The other four satellites:

• MidSTAR-1-1, built by the U.S. Naval Academy.
• STPSat-1, built by Aero Astro for the Space Test Program.
• Cibola Flight Experience, built by Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) for Los Alamos National Laboratory.
• FalconSAT-3, built by the U.S. Air Force Academy.

Overall integration of the mission was provided by The Boeing Company.



The mission was launched aboard an Atlas V 401 configuration, which uses a single common core booster powered by the RD-180 engine. This Atlas V flight marked the 201st RD-180 firing. Including test firings, the Atlas RD-180 engine has operated for more than 37,000 seconds, or the equivalent of 151 launches. The Atlas V system has eight previous successful launches, including two missions for NASA and six for commercial customers.

Formed in 2006, ULA combines the successful Delta and Atlas expendable launch vehicle programs to offer cost-effective and reliable launch services to U.S. government customers, including the Department of Defense, NASA, the National Reconnaissance Office and other organizations. ULA program management, engineering, test and mission support functions are headquartered in Denver, Colo. Manufacturing, assembly and integration operations are located at Decatur, Ala. and Harlingen, Tex. Launch operations are located at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., and at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.

Source: United Launch Alliance

March 9, 2007: Last night an Atlas V rocket carrying the Orbital Express satellite servicing demonstrator thundered away from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, soaring to low Earth orbit to begin an intensive, three-month demonstration of automated rendezvous and docking capabilities.

If the mission is successful, NASA engineers say, those capabilities could become a critical element of America's future space endeavors, providing an alternative to some human-piloted missions in the next decade. (For more information on this, see Science@NASA's Look Ma! No (Human) Hands!)

"It was a picture-perfect launch," says James Lee of the Marshall Space Flight Center. "We're excited and proud to see Orbital Express reach orbit."

Above: An Atlas V rocket blasts off from Cape Canaveral on March 8 carrying Orbital Express.
Photo credit: United Launch Alliance.

Orbital Express is actually two satellites: the Autonomous Space Transport Robotic Operations (ASTRO) service vehicle, and the Next-generation serviceable Satellite (NextSat). The pair will circle Earth in tandem, docking and undocking as they practice on-orbit refueling and satellite repair techniques. They'll also trade and install a functional battery and computer – the first unassisted component exchange in space history.

Key to these maneuvers is a compact state-of-the-art automated guidance system known as AVGS (Advanced Video Guidance Sensor) developed at the Marshall Space Flight Center. Lee is the AVGS project manager, and he's looking forward to the intense field-test his system is about to receive:

"We hope to demonstrate the critical role that these automated rendezvous and docking capabilities are sure to play in America's next-generation space infrastructure."

DARPA, the central research and development organization for the U.S. Department of Defense, manages the Orbital Express Program. The Boeing Company of Huntington Beach, Calif., is DARPA's prime contractor for Orbital Express. The Marshall Center developed the AVGS technology, delivered the flight software and conducted performance tests for Orbital Express. The AVGS system hardware was built by Orbital Sciences Corp. of Dulles, Va.

Author: Rick Smith | Production Editor: Dr. Tony Phillips | Credit: Science@NASA

____________________________________________

More to the story...

Automated Rendevous and Docking (AR&D) at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center

Look Ma! No (Human) Hands! -- (Science@NASA)

Orbital Express Space Operations Architecture -- an overview from DARPA.

The Flight Robotics Laboratory (FRL) at the Marshall Space Flight Center provides an on-the-ground test environment for missions like Orbital Express before they launch.

Orbital Express To Test Full Autonomy for On-Orbit Service -- (Aviation Week)

The Vision for Space Exploration

Source: Science@NASA

The Boeing press release is reproduce below:

ST. LOUIS, March 09, 2007 -- A Boeing-led [NYSE: BA] industry team today announced the successful launch of Orbital Express, a demonstration spacecraft that is part of a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) program aimed at demonstrating fully autonomous on-orbit spacecraft servicing capabilities.

Liftoff occurred yesterday at 10:10 p.m. EST from Space Launch Complex 41, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. Following a nominal flight, the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket deployed the spacecraft to a low-Earth orbit.

The three-month mission will demonstrate various functions of the new system.

"Orbital Express is a revolutionary system that will offer customers with appropriately configured on-orbit assets new options to enhance the operation of their systems," said George Muellner, president of Boeing Advanced Systems. "This demonstration mission is the first step toward developing an operational system that can service satellites and support other space operations. Orbital Express continues our success in delivering solutions that shape new markets through the integration of people, innovation and technology."

Orbital Express consists of the Autonomous Space Transport Robotic Operations (ASTRO) servicing spacecraft developed by Boeing Advanced Network and Space Systems; and NextSat, a prototypical modular next-generation serviceable client spacecraft developed by Ball Aerospace.

The demonstration mission will validate capabilities critical for the development of emerging and future space systems. When operational, the new integrated rendezvous proximity operations and capture system will provide satellite and spacecraft operators with a routine on-orbit servicing capability for such things as fuel and component transfer, relocation, inspection, safe de-orbit and on-orbit assembly.

Major test objectives include:

• Autonomous operations, including rendezvous from 7 km with a capability to support rendezvous at separation distances up to 1,000 km and beyond
• Onboard relative navigation and guidance systems
• Robotic arm system
• Multiple captures of the NextSat client spacecraft performed directly and using the robotic arm
• Sub-meter range autonomous station-keeping
• Fluid and component transfer
• Passive, targetless rendezvous sensor systems

"Today's launch is a major milestone for the Orbital Express program," said Alex Lopez, vice president, Boeing Advanced Network and Space Systems. "Our team has worked very hard to prepare for this important mission, and I congratulate them on their accomplishment. We're looking forward to a successful demonstration for our customer and moving forward with developing and deploying the first operational system."

DARPA selected Boeing as the prime integrator for Phase II of the Orbital Express Advanced Technology Demonstration program in March 2002.

Orbital Express team members include NASA, Ball Aerospace, Northrop Grumman Space Technology, MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd., the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory Inc., and Starsys Research.

Additional Orbital Express information, including mission updates, can be found at: http://www.boeing.com/ids/advanced_systems/orbital.html.

A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is one of the world's largest space and defense businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $32.4 billion business with 72,000 employees worldwide.

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Source: Boeing press release

The Boeing press release is reproduce below:

ST. LOUIS, April 17, 2007 -- In its first on-orbit demonstration 300 miles above the Earth, Boeing's [NYSE: BA] Orbital Express system autonomously transferred propellant fuel and a battery from one spacecraft to another, marking industry firsts for the revolutionary system.

During the fuel transfer demonstration, the Boeing Autonomous Space Transport Robotic Operations (ASTRO) servicing spacecraft successfully transferred hydrazine propellant with Ball Aerospace's NextSat, a prototypical modular next-generation serviceable client spacecraft.

The ASTRO vehicle also used a robotic arm to transfer a battery to NextSat. It marked the first time that a spacecraft autonomously transferred hardware to another spacecraft using a robotic arm.

The landmark tests are the first in a series of planned demonstrations during a three-month mission to validate the system's functionality.

"The Orbital Express team is accomplishing things that have never been done before in space," said George Muellner, president of Boeing Advanced Systems. "These achievements are the first steps toward developing a system that will extend the life and operation of various types of spacecraft."

Orbital Express, launched to orbit on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket on March 8, is a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency-led effort consisting of the Boeing ASTRO servicing spacecraft and the NextSat serviceable client spacecraft.

"Boeing believes autonomous on-orbit servicing and rendezvous proximity operations can be a vital element to enable a more operationally responsive space," said Alex Lopez, vice president of Boeing Advanced Network and Space Systems.

Through pre-demonstration system checks, the team verified the spacecraft's ability to stay connected and hold a firm seal during transfer operations.

ASTRO's fluid transfer system supports typical client spacecraft configurations using either a pressure-fed (ullage recompression) or transfer pump system.

In the ullage recompression demonstration, ASTRO transferred approximately 31.97 lbm (pounds mass) of hydrazine to NextSat, satisfying the objective of 32 lbm. In the transfer pump demonstration, ASTRO transferred 2.2 lbm more than the 17 lbm target. The team then conducted a pump fluid transfer from NextSat back to ASTRO.

The team also performed an autonomous transfer of hardware between the two spacecraft. Using its robotic manipulator arm, ASTRO placed a battery on NextSat. The battery was successfully integrated into NextSat's power system following the transfer.

The demonstrations occurred at the lowest levels of spacecraft autonomy, which required several ground-based "approval to proceed" (ATP) confirmations. The team initiated ATPs to closely monitor and evaluate the operations. Future demonstrations will require fewer ATPs, allowing Orbital Express to conduct flight activities with increased autonomy. At the highest autonomy levels, no ATPs are required.

Orbital Express team members include NASA, Ball Aerospace, Northrop Grumman Space Technology, MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd., the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory Inc., and Starsys Research.

Orbital Express mission information and demonstration updates can be found at: http://www.boeing.com/orbitalexpress.

A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is one of the world's largest space and defense businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $32.4 billion business with 72,000 employees worldwide.

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Source: Boeing press release

The Boeing press release is reproduce below:

ST. LOUIS, May 10, 2007 -- The Boeing [NYSE: BA] Orbital Express system has completed another industry first by successfully performing a fully autonomous free-flight rendezvous and capture operation. The demonstration of the two-spacecraft system is part of an ongoing Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) mission to validate on-orbit servicing capabilities.

Using its onboard cameras and advanced video guidance system, the Boeing Autonomous Space Transport Robotic Operations (ASTRO) servicing spacecraft separated from the NextSat client spacecraft, backed away to a distance of 10 meters (33 feet), maintained proximity flight with NextSat for a full orbit, and then approached and captured NextSat with its docking mechanism.

The demonstration occurred at full spacecraft autonomy to mark the first on-orbit rendezvous and capture operation performed with no active exchange of relative navigation information or any intervention or control from the ground.

"This successful demonstration is a critical milestone for the Orbital Express program," said Alex Lopez, vice president of Boeing Advanced Network and Space Systems. "On-orbit proximity and rendezvous capability is required to service satellites. Satellite servicing capability can reduce operations costs, increase spacecraft life and enable new space system architectures."

"It was impressive to watch this historic event," said Bob Friend, Boeing Orbital Express program manager and chief systems engineer. "With a single command to start the scenario, ASTRO performed all subsequent operations from de-mate through final capture and mate. I am extremely proud of the entire team on this accomplishment."

During the next major unmated operation (Scenario 3-1), ASTRO will depart NextSat to a range of 30 meters (98 feet), then approach and perform a free flight capture of NextSat using its robotic arm.

The Orbital Express program is a DARPA-led effort to validate technologies required to perform on-orbit satellite servicing. Orbital Express team members include NASA, Ball Aerospace, Northrop Grumman Space Technology, MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd., the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory Inc., and Starsys Research.

Orbital Express mission information and demonstration updates can be found at: http://www.boeing.com/orbitalexpress.

A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is one of the world's largest space and defense businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $32.4 billion business with 72,000 employees worldwide.[/size]

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Source: Boeing press release

The Ball Aerospace press release is reproduce below:

June 18, 2007

BOULDER, Colo., June 18, 2007 – The nation's first autonomous satellite servicing demonstration has resumed unmated demonstration activities as the successful Orbital Express mission between Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp.’s Next Generation Satellite and Commodities Spacecraft (NextSat/CSC), and Boeing’s Autonomous Space Transfer and Robotic Orbiter (ASTRO,) continues its three month mission. Both satellites for the Orbital Express mission were built for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

Technologically advanced feats accomplished since launch on March 8 include:

• Spacecraft separation of 10 meters, followed by one hour of formation flying before successful re-mating. Both satellites operated autonomously, almost exclusively without the need for ground control.
• Multiple successful transfers of hydrazine and the battery orbital replacement unit between ASTRO and NextSat using ASTRO’s robotic arm. This marked the first time hardware has been autonomously transferred between unmanned spacecraft on orbit.

These activities pave the way for the final goal of achieving separation to a distance of 7 km and re-mating, to conclude the nominal demonstration.

The Orbital Express mission will help determine the feasibility of extending the life of future on-orbit spacecraft by refueling or even upgrading them in space. The mission was designed to include demonstrations of short range separation, proximity operations, and capture.

“The innovative technologies employed on the Orbital Express mission demonstrate and support goals to reduce costs, improve safety, and extend the life of satellites by five, 10, or even 15 years,� said David L. Taylor, president and CEO of Ball Aerospace.

Ball Aerospace adapted significant elements from its highly successful Deep Impact spacecraft in building NextSat/CSC, including software, command and data handling, and power control. Other elements were derived from the Ball Commercial Platform, such as the narrow-band telecom architecture from the Ball-built CloudSat spacecraft, launched in 2006.

Images available at: http://www.darpa.mil/orbitalexpress/mission_updates.html

Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. supports critical missions of important national agencies such as the Department of Defense, NASA, NOAA and other U.S. government and commercial entities. The company develops and manufactures spacecraft, advanced instruments and sensors, components, data exploitation systems and RF solutions for strategic, tactical and scientific applications. Over the past 50 years, Ball Aerospace has been responsible for numerous technological and scientific ‘firsts’ and acts as a technology innovator for the aerospace market.

Ball Corporation is a supplier of high-quality metal and plastic packaging products for beverage, food and household customers, and of aerospace and other technologies and services, primarily for the U.S. government. Ball Corporation and its subsidiaries employ more than 15,500 people worldwide and reported 2006 sales of $6.6 billion.


Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains "forward-looking" statements concerning future events and financial performance. Words such as “expects,� “anticipates,� “estimates� and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Key risks and uncertainties are summarized in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Exhibit 99.2 in our Form 10-K, which are available at our Web site and at www.sec.gov. Factors that might affect our packaging segments include fluctuation in consumer and customer demand and preferences; availability and cost of raw materials, including recent significant increases in resin, steel, aluminum and energy costs, and the ability to pass such increases on to customers; competitive packaging availability, pricing and substitution; changes in climate and weather; crop yields; industry productive capacity and competitive activity; failure to achieve anticipated productivity improvements or production cost reductions, including those associated with our beverage can end project; the German mandatory deposit or other restrictive packaging laws; changes in major customer or supplier contracts or loss of a major customer or supplier; and changes in foreign exchange rates, tax rates and activities of foreign subsidiaries. Factors that might affect our aerospace segment include: funding, authorization, availability and returns of government and commercial contracts; and delays, extensions and technical uncertainties affecting segment contracts. Factors that might affect the company as a whole include those listed plus: accounting changes; successful or unsuccessful acquisitions, joint ventures or divestitures; integration of recently acquired businesses; regulatory action or laws including tax, environmental and workplace safety; governmental investigations; technological developments and innovations; goodwill impairment; antitrust, patent and other litigation; strikes; labor cost changes; rates of return projected and earned on assets of the company's defined benefit retirement plans; pension changes; reduced cash flow; interest rates affecting our debt; and changes to unaudited results due to statutory audits or other effects.

Source: Ball Aerospace press release

The Boeing press release is reproduce below:

ST. LOUIS, June 22, 2007 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] today announced that the Orbital Express system, a program to validate spacecraft servicing capability led by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), has performed a fully-autonomous "fly-around and capture" of its NextSat client spacecraft, marking another industry first for the innovative program.

During the five-hour test on June 16, Boeing's Autonomous Space Transport Robotic Operations (ASTRO) servicing spacecraft used its onboard cameras and advanced video guidance system to separate from, circle and re-mate with the Ball Aerospace NextSat client spacecraft. The test primarily used passive sensors with no active exchange of relative navigation information or involvement by ground controllers.

Positioned in orbit 60 meters above NextSat, ASTRO followed an imaginary line called the "Rbar," which extends from the Earth's center to a satellite and beyond, to capture the spacecraft. The maneuver simulated the direction of approach needed to effectively service a satellite without interfering with its cameras or antennas.

"This scenario validated autonomous fly-around capability, which is needed for inspecting spacecraft," said Alex Lopez, vice president of Boeing Advanced Network and Space Systems. "The team also proved that approaching a satellite from 'minus Rbar' means that Orbital Express can conduct on-orbit servicing operations without disrupting satellite service for customers. This capability is considered highly desirable by satellite operators."

ASTRO and NextSat began the demonstration (Scenario 5-1) in the Mated Nominal mode. At the predicted time, ASTRO's autonomous systems separated it from NextSat to a range of up to 120 meters. ASTRO then circled NextSat using its sensor systems to continuously track NextSat during the fly-around. If sensor inputs had deviated outside of the established limits, an autonomous safing action would have repositioned the spacecraft to a safe location.

After completing the fly-around, ASTRO maintained its relative position with NextSat at 120 meters for 17 minutes then maneuvered above NextSat to perform a corridor approach to within centimeters of the client spacecraft. The capture mechanism grappled NextSat and performed a soft berth, drawing NextSat and ASTRO together.

The test marked the first unmated operation since mid-May when the Orbital Express team experienced a computer sensor anomaly during the unmated portion of Scenario 3-1. The system's autonomous safing feature maneuvered the spacecraft to a safe location until the team could re-mate them. The team has since resolved the anomaly from this scenario.

During the next major unmated operation (Scenario 7-1), ASTRO will depart NextSat to a range of four kilometers before approaching the client spacecraft and performing a free-fly capture using its robotic arm.

Orbital Express team members include NASA, Ball Aerospace, Northrop Grumman Space Technology, MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd., the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory Inc., and Starsys Research.

Orbital Express mission information and demonstration updates can be found at: http://www.boeing.com/orbitalexpress.

A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is one of the world's largest space and defense businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $32.4 billion business with 72,000 employees worldwide.[/size]

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Source: Boeing press release

July 6, 2007: Picture this: Two robots hang suspended in space, nose to nose. One reaches out a crooked silver arm and begins to minister to the needs of the other. Fuel is exchanged, a battery is replaced; servicing complete, the two silently drift apart.

These robots, named ASTRO and NextSat, are real and they are in Earth orbit now.


Above: An artist's concept of ASTRO, the Autonomous
Space Transport Robotic Operations service vehicle
(left), and NextSat, the Next-generation serviceable
satellite (right). Click on the image to view a computer
animation.

On March 8, 2007, an Atlas V rocket boosted the pair into space. Their mission: to demonstrate autonomous on-orbit satellite servicing, a technology crucial to future space exploration. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) manages the project, which is called Orbital Express.

ASTRO and NextSat look more like ordinary satellites than high-tech robots, but they are far from ordinary. ASTRO, in particular, seems to have a mind of its own. It can approach NextSat and dock with it. ASTRO has its own arm for reaching, grappling and servicing—tasks once reserved for the hands of living astronauts. NextSat plays a less glamorous but no less essential role as it races around Earth offering itself to ASTRO for whatever tests ground controllers command.

This is all new, and indeed ground controllers are proceeding cautiously to see what ASTRO can actually do.

The first on-orbit test took place in April. The two satellites remained safely docked together as ASTRO's mechanical arm grappled NextSat, moving it into a variety of positions and attitudes to calibrate rendezvous and capture sensors. ASTRO also transferred fuel and a battery to NextSat. Score: A+.

Above: NextSat, photographed by ASTRO as the pair flew in formation on May 5, 2007. [Larger image]

The next big test occurred on May 5th. ASTRO and NextSat completely undocked and flew perfectly in formation for about 90 minutes. The distance between the two during this maneuver was about 10 meters. ASTRO then approached and rejoined NextSat, conducting the first autonomous rendezvous and docking in the history of the American space program! This test also included an autonomous fuel transfer.

The milestone was made possible by ASTRO's Advanced Video Guidance Sensor—AVGS for short—developed at the Marshall Space Flight Center. It is one of the key technologies that gives ASTRO "a mind of its own."

ASTRO needed all the intelligence it could muster in mid-May when something unexpected happened. An ASTRO flight computer glitch caused a docking test to abort at 10 meters, before the vehicles re-mated. Over the next few days, ASTRO and NextSat drifted more than 6 kilometers (almost 4 miles!) apart. On May 19th, at about 150 meters—greater than any distance ground tested for Orbital Express—AVGS locked on and began to track NextSat. Disaster averted.


Above: NextSat, moments before docking
with ASTRO on April 17, 2007.
[Larger image]

"AVGS was very helpful in getting the two spacecraft back together," commented Fred Kennedy, the program manager at DARPA. "Our mission operations team spent long days diagnosing sensor and navigation anomalies, and was finally able to manually reposition ASTRO within a kilometer of NextSat. It was then a matter of returning guidance control to ASTRO, which performed a series of autonomous maneuvers to get us within AVGS's fully operational range so the two spacecraft could re-mate."

This unplanned test may have been the most valuable of all, showing that ASTRO and NextSat can deal with the unexpected, and perform beyond their theoretical boundaries.

The mission is now drawing to a close after establishing several firsts in US space history. In addition to the first US autonomous rendezvous and docking, ASTRO and NextSat also demonstrated the first fully autonomous fly-around and docking, plus an exciting free-flyer capture of NextSat using ASTRO's robotic arm.

It all goes to show that automated rendezvous and servicing may be a realistic option for future space missions. Indeed, technologies proven by Orbital Express could revolutionize the way space is explored, making it possible within the next decade to refuel and repair space vehicles without the touch of a human hand. This, in turn, frees humans for jobs that only humans can do.

It's a partnership: ASTRO and NextSat, humans and machines, into the void together.

*The Boeing Company of Huntington Beach, California, is the prime contractor for the Orbital Express Mission.

Author: Dauna Coulter | Production Editor: Dr. Tony Phillips | Credit: Science@NASA

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More to the story...

Orbital Express Mission Updates (DARPA)

Look Ma, No Hands! (Science@NASA) -- High-tech automated systems could be the key to next generation space exploration, paving the way back to the Moon and on to Mars

Orbital Express Lifts Off (Science@NASA)

Automated Rendezvous and Docking (AR&D) at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center

NASA's Future: The Vision for Space Exploration

Source: Science@NASA

The Boeing press release is reproduce below:

ST. LOUIS, Aug. 30, 2007 -- A four-month demonstration conducted in space of the Boeing [NYSE: BA] Orbital Express system culminated in an unqualified success.

The mission, sponsored and led by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to validate on-orbit servicing technologies, tested the system from March 8 to July 2. Orbital Express met or exceeded all of its test objectives to become the world's first spacecraft capable of performing autonomous on-orbit servicing functions.

With the successful demonstration of Orbital Express, Boeing has shown that it can provide satellite customers with a capability to extend spacecraft lifespan through refueling and component replacement, and offer robotic support for space operations.

"Boeing has opened a new market with Orbital Express, and this capability will benefit the satellite industry as well as space exploration ventures," said Alex Lopez, vice president, Boeing Advanced Network and Space Systems. "We see a great future in providing global space customers options they've never had before."

Orbital Express consists of the Autonomous Space Transport Robotic Operations (ASTRO) servicing spacecraft developed by Boeing. Ball Aerospace's NextSat served as a prototypical modular next-generation serviceable client spacecraft.

The demonstration comprised eight scenarios that were performed in different lighting conditions and approaches. Mated operations included battery and fuel transfers and computer replacement. Unmated operations involved separation of the spacecraft to various ranges, far-and near-field rendezvous, proximity operations, approach, capture and mate.

"The purpose of Orbital Express was to demonstrate technologies needed for satellite servicing, autonomous free flight, rendezvous and capture, and transferring fuel and components to a satellite -- and we accomplished that," said Bob Friend, Boeing Orbital Express chief engineer and program manager.

The demonstration successfully validated Boeing's Autonomous Rendezvous and Capture Sensor System. The system identified NextSat more than 400 kilometers away, enabling ASTRO to approach within a few meters of NextSat while determining its exact position, attitude and best mating location.

Boeing sees many applications and benefits of on-orbit servicing and proximity operations that can be accomplished by Orbital Express.

In addition to spacecraft fuel and component replenishment, the open standard interfaces such as the docking and re-fueling systems enable increased value and utility for next-generation spacecraft. The advanced robotic arm can support precision robotics work, on-orbit assembly or contingency operations and can be used to move satellites into proper orbit or position satellites and space debris for safe de-orbit. Orbital Express also supports Operationally Responsive Space needs.

DARPA de-commissioned Orbital Express in mid-July to conclude one of the most complex missions ever attempted in space.

Orbital Express team members included NASA; Ball Aerospace; Northrop Grumman Space Technology; MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd.; the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory Inc.; and Starsys Research.

Orbital Express demonstration mission information, photos and videos are available at http://www.boeing.com/orbitalexpress.

A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is one of the world's largest space and defense businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $32.4 billion business with 72,000 employees worldwide.



Source: Boeing press release