Results and Verification of Spacecraft Docking Emulation using Hardware-in-the-Loop Simulation

The interest in new demonstration missions of space servicing is decidedly rising in this beginning of the twenty-first century, as attested by several well-known projects like the Orbital Express, TECS AS, CX-OLEV and others. Such missions require a thorough knowledge of the mechanical behaviour of spacecrafts during docking or berthing. In order to adequately study the dynamics involved, a number of docking emulation test-beds have been elaborated worldwide and tested for their efficiency in providing realistic results, thereby preventing an eventual failure of the docking process. The Canadian Space Agency is developing such a test-bed for spacecraft docking emulation by using hardware-in-the-loop simulation. This paper describes this test-bed and presents the verification procedure used to verify the functionality of this type of simulation.