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the cost of such an extended mission. The two craft demated for a final time, with ASTRO backing out to greater than 400 km (250 mi) in a test of sensor performance. Following this the craft performed a rendezvous to a standoff, where decommissioning took place. The NEXTSat spacecraft was deactivated on 21 July, when its computers were turned off, and solar panels pointed away from the Sun. Subsequently, ASTRO vented its
Hydrazine propellant, and was deactivated on 22 July 2007. The satellites were left to decay naturally.
171:
phases of flight operations incorporated a number of
Authority to Proceed (ATP) pause points, which required a signal to be sent from the ground to authorize the ASTRO Mission Manager to continue the sequence. This allowed the ground operations team to verify that the scenario was proceeding as planned before continuing to the next step. Later scenarios incorporated fewer ATPs. The final scenarios were compound autonomous sequences, performing rendezvous, capture, ORU transfer and fluid transfer without any ATPs.
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The final rendezvous and docking between the two spacecraft occurred on 29 June 2007. This was followed by the final demonstration, the changeout of a flight computer aboard ASTRO. NASA's plans for an extended mission with its own testing objectives from mid-July to
September 2007 were abandoned over
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All robotic operations were scripted prior to execution and performed autonomously as part of increasingly complex mission scenarios. The arm was commanded to perform its operations by either direct command from the ground, or autonomously by the ASTRO Mission
Manager software. Scenarios in the early
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The OEDMS was mounted on the ASTRO. It was used to capture and service the NEXTSat, the client satellite provided by Ball
Aerospace. Using a robotic arm on-orbit, the Orbital Express mission demonstrated autonomous capture of a fully unconstrained free-flying client satellite, autonomous transfer of
158:
The
Orbital Express Demonstration Manipulator System (OEDMS), provided by MDA Corp., was the mission's integrated robotics solution. It consisted primarily of a 6-DOF rotary joint robotic arm, its flight avionics (the Manipulator Control Unit or MCU) and arm vision system, two On-Orbit Replaceable
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20:
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NEXTSat was expected to take three to five years to decay, while the heavier ASTRO satellite was expected to take fifteen years. However, ASTRO reentered the atmosphere on 25 October 2013, after only 6.5 years. NEXTSat on the other hand decayed from orbit on 21 April 2023, almost 16 years after
108:
NASA's involvement was through the
Automated Systems and Automated Rendezvous and Docking Division of the Engineering Directorate at MSFC. The MSFC Engineering Directorate also managed the Advanced Video Guidance System (AVGS) for Orbital Express project. The refueling mechanism was designed,
91:
The
Orbital Express program was managed by the Tactical Technology Office (TTO), one of the six technical offices in DARPA. TTO programs included both "Aerospace Systems" such as Orbital Express, and "Tactical Multipliers" such as the "Magneto Hydrodynamic Explosive Munition
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a functional battery ORU between two spacecraft, and autonomous transfer of a functional computer ORU. These operations were executed as part of mission scenarios that demonstrated complete sequences of autonomous rendezvous, capture, berthing and ORU transfer.
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The fluid (fuel) and ORU (battery) transfers were completed successfully at the lowest levels of spacecraft autonomy. Subsequent transfers over a three-month period were intended to demonstrate greater autonomy.
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on this mission), and ORU (Orbit
Replaceable Unit) transfer. A prime military mission would be to refuel reconnaissance satellites so they can improve coverage, increase surprise and be more survivable.
45:(MSFC). The Orbital Express program was aimed at developing "a safe and cost-effective approach to autonomously service satellites in orbit". The system consisted of two
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developed and produced by VACCO Industries. The docking mechanism, as well as the launch adapter, were designed, developed and produced by
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Units (ORUs) and their spacecraft attachment interfaces, a visual target and grapple fixture installed on NEXTSat, and the
Manipulator
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636:, Aviation Week, 4 Jun 2006. Includes overview of several predecessor missions of unmanned orbital servicing technologies.
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The project hoped to demonstrate several satellite servicing operations and technologies including
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https://web.archive.org/web/20100203220541/http://www.boeing.com/bds/phantom_works/orbital.html
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100:, which included the Orbital Express Demonstration Manipulator System (OEDMS) developed by
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8:
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443:"Spaceflight Now - Breaking News - Satellite in-space servicing demo mission a success"
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servicing satellite, and a prototype modular next-generation serviceable satellite;
400:"Orbital Express Conducts History's First Satellite-to-Satellite Hardware Transfer"
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348:"Autonomous Robotic Operations for On-Orbit Satellite Servicing"
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419:"After Successful Mission, Orbital Express Put Out to Pasture"
213: – carried by STS-135 to the International Space Station
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US project to autonomously service satellites in orbit ~2007
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Orbital Express To Test Full Autonomy for On-Orbit Service
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Orbital Express To Test Full Autonomy for On-Orbit Service
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Robotics: the Demonstration Manipulator System (OEDMS)
240:"Boeing Integrated Defense Systems - Orbital Express"
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215:
Pages displaying wikidata descriptions as a fallback
481:"In-space satellite servicing tests come to an end"
366:"Engineering Directorate Projects & Customers"
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505:"STP-1 (Space Test Program-1) / Orbital Express"
294:"Orbital Express Space Operations Architecture"
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196: – NASA Autonomous Rendezvous demo 2005
660:Military space program of the United States
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460:Orbital Express Begins End-Of-Life Maneuver
87:Orbital Express major subsystem contractors
629:Global Security's Orbital Express web page
207:or KIKU-7, also known as Orihime/Hikoboshi
609:Ball Aerospace's Orbital Express web page
402:. SatNews. April 19, 2007. Archived from
35:Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
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531:. Aerospace Corporation. Archived from
276:"Orbital Express Launches Successfully"
106:Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp.
37:(DARPA) and a team led by engineers at
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260:. NASA. March 5, 2007. Archived from
102:MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates
96:) program". ASTRO was developed by
30:was a space mission managed by the
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670:Spacecraft which reentered in 2013
125:Orbital Express: ASTRO and NEXTSat
79:Program management and contractors
23:Orbital Express: ASTRO and NEXTSat
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665:Robotic satellite repair vehicles
599:Boeing's Orbital Express web page
595: (archived December 24, 2010)
587: (archived December 4, 2008)
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350:. MDA Corporation. Archived from
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98:Boeing Integrated Defense Systems
625: (archived February 6, 2012)
605: (archived October 14, 2012)
581:DARPA Orbital Express web page 1
141:, fluid transfer (specifically,
59:Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
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1:
615: (archived June 10, 2007)
479:Clark, Stephen (2007-07-04).
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68:. The launch was part of the
57:. The mission launched from
417:Berger, Brian (2007-08-09).
258:"Look Ma! No (Human) Hands!"
43:Marshall Space Flight Center
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650:Spacecraft launched in 2007
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133:, proximity operations and
61:on 8 March 2007, aboard an
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222:(Space Docking Experiment)
211:Robotic Refueling Mission
200:Kosmos 186 and Kosmos 188
111:Sierra Nevada Corporation
66:expendable launch vehicle
242:. Boeing. Archived from
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332:. DARPA. Archived from
314:. DARPA. Archived from
296:. DARPA. Archived from
70:United States Air Force
406:on September 28, 2007.
368:. NASA. Archived from
278:. NASA. Archived from
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509:European Space Agency
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113:(SNC) Space Systems.
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264:on August 27, 2009.
447:spaceflightnow.com
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73:Space Test Program
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547:"OE (NEXTSAT)"
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535:on 2013-10-29.
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372:on 2006-10-01.
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330:"TTO Programs"
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318:on 2007-02-11.
312:"TTO Overview"
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555:. Retrieved
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529:"OE (ASTRO)"
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512:. Retrieved
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644:Categories
589:web page 2
557:2 December
514:2021-01-06
490:2014-03-20
428:2024-06-11
227:References
131:rendezvous
47:spacecraft
423:SpaceNews
143:hydrazine
551:N2YO.com
188:See also
621:at the
611:at the
601:at the
591:at the
583:at the
205:ETS-VII
139:docking
63:Atlas V
55:NEXTSat
220:SPADEX
49:: the
655:DARPA
117:Goals
94:MAHEM
51:ASTRO
559:2023
194:DART
39:NASA
568:1.
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471:^
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92:(
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