Analysis of Grasp Requirements for Telerobotic Satellite Servicing

Abstract

There is an established need to service satellites while on-orbit. Teleoperated robots may conduct this servicing, if the grasps required to perform these tasks are identified and understood. By studying Hubble Space Telescope Servicing Mission 3B, the human grasps used for servicing satellites are identified. Based on the human grasps, a robotic grasp taxonomy is developed. The grasps required for robotic satellite servicing are described in this study in terms of end-effector requirements. Also presented is the relative use of each end-effector. In order to apply the findings here for Servicing Mission 3B to general satellite servicing mission, a task analysis is presented. This displays the end-effector requirements for each type of task performed, which may be applied to similar tasks on future servicing missions.