Micro-satellite ground test vehicle for proximity and docking operations development

This paper updates the ongoing effort at LLNL to develop autonomous, agile micro-satellites (MicroSats). The objective of this development effort is to develop MicroSats weighing only a few tens of kilograms, that are able to autonomously perform precision maneuvers and can be used telerobotically in a variety of mission modes. The capabilities under development include satellite rendezvous, inspection, proximity-operations, formation-flying, docking, and servicing. The focus of this paper is on the development of several ground test vehicles and the demonstration of proximity operations on a dynamic air bearing table.