Flight-Experiment Validation of the Dynamic Capabilities of a Flux-Pinned Interface as a Docking Mechanism

Abstract

Flux-pinned interfaces for spacecraft leverage the physics of superconductor interactions with electromagnetism to govern the dynamics between two bodies in close-proximity. Several unique advantages over traditional mechanical capture systems include robustness to control failures, contactless reorientation of the capture target, and collision mitigation. This study describes a series of experiments performed in a microgravity environment during a parabolic-flight campaign to measure the dynamic behavior of a flux-pinned interface in a flight-traceable environment. This paper presents the performance of a flux-pinned interface in the full six degrees of freedom in terms of several quantifiable metrics: success of capture at various energetic states, momentum change, system damping, and interface stiffness of the two spacecraft bodies.