The European Proximity Operations Simulator (EPOS) 2.0 located at the German Space Operations Center (GSOC) in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany, is a robotic based test facility of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) used for simulation of rendezvous and docking (RvD) processes. Hardware such as rendezvous sensors (cameras, laser scanners) or docking tools, as well as software (e.g. for navigation and control) can be tested and verified. The facility consists of two robotic manipulators with each six degrees of freedom, a linear slide of 25m length on which one robot can be moved in the laboratory, and a computer-based monitoring and control system. EPOS 2.0 allows for real-time simulations of the rendezvous and docking process during the most critical phase (separation from 25m to 0m) of proximity and docking/berthing operations.

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Completed in 2009, the European Proximity Operations Simulator 2.0 (EPOS 2.0) succeeded EPOS 1.0 at the German Space Operations Center (GSOC). One of the many contributions the old EPOS 1.0 facility made to spaceflight rendezvous is the verification of the Jena-Optronik laser-based sensors used by the Automated Transfer Vehicle. While EPOS 2.0 builds upon its heritage, it is a completely new design aiming at considerably more complex rendezvous scenarios. During the last ten years, GSOC’s On-Orbit-Servicing & Autonomy group, who operates, maintains and evolves EPOS 2.0, has made numerous contributions to the field of uncooperative rendezvous, using EPOS as its primary tool. After general research in optical navigation in the early 2010s, the OOS group took a leading role in the DLR project “On-Orbit-Servicing End-to-End Simulation” in 2014. EPOS 2.0 served as the hardware in the loop simulator of the rendezvous phase and contributed substantially to the project’s remarkable success. Over the years, E2E has revealed demanding requirements, leading to numerous facility improvements and extensions. In addition to the OOS group’s research work, numerous and diverse open-loop test campaigns for industry and internal (DLR) customers have shaped the capabilities of EPOS 2.0 significantly.

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