The Air Force Research Laboratory/Space Vehicles Directorate (AFRL/RV) is developing Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) technologies in support of the Department of Defense's Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) initiative. Such technologies will significantly reduce the amount of time and effort required to assess a satellite's structural surety. Although SHM development efforts abound, ORS drives unique requirements on the development of these SHM systems. This paper describes several technology development efforts, aimed at solving those technical issues unique to an ORS-focused SHM system, as well as how the SHM system could be implemented within the structural verification process of a Responsive satellite.
The Air Force Research Laboratory/Space Vehicles Directorate (AFRL/RV) is developing a satellite structural architecture in support of the Department of Defense's Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) initiative. Such a structural architecture must enable rapid Assembly, Integration, and Test (AI&T) of the satellite, accommodate multiple configurations (to include structural configurations, components, and payloads), and incorporate structurally integrated thermal management and electronics, while providing sufficient strength, stiffness, and alignment accuracy. The chosen approach will allow a wide range of satellite structures to be assembled from a relatively small set of structural components. This paper details the efforts of AFRL, and its contractors, to develop the technology necessary to realize these goals.
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