Kelsey Tresemer, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; Shawn Higbee, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; E. Albin, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; D. Buban, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; S. Magana-Zook, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; M. Shen, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; M. Stern, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; S. Ludwig, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; Z. Shields, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; S. Hunter, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
https://doi.org/10.64861/PDZM7970
Keywords: hardware in the loop, RPO strategy, fuel strategy
Abstract:
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This paper presents the design and initialization of a hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) orbital motion simulator. The simulator uses industrial robots to physically emulate satellite relative motion within a compact laboratory workspace. The objective is to couple orbital dynamics with physically realized trajectories, translating absolute orbital motion into local relative motion within a scaled, room-sized workspace. This supports mission classes ranging from rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO) to cislunar scenarios._x000D_
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Workspace size, orientation coverage, and dynamic envelope requirements are balanced against key hardware constraints: payload capacity for sensors and avionics, structural stiffness, achievable accelerations, and path-tracking accuracy. To verify the fidelity of this compressed-scale orbital motion, an external FARO laser tracker system provides independent, high-accuracy measurements of test article positions, enabling direct comparison between commanded and actual trajectories. Using this common reference, tracking performance is quantified through system error analysis, spatial error envelopes, time- and frequency-domain analysis of residuals, and latency characterization._x000D_
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The architecture is designed for agility across mission types, incorporating configurable physical layouts (including multi-robot setups), robust human and hardware safety systems, and user-friendly tasking software. The resulting HIL simulator provides a flexible, quantitatively characterized platform for small satellite mission development and validation._x000D_
Date of Conference: September 15-18, 2026
Track: Conjunction/RPO