Keywords

Robotics; Controls; Astrodynamics; Udwadia-Kalaba; ROME; ASRL

Abstract

The Rapid Orbit Motion Emulator (ROME) is designed to be a hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testbed for orbital control algorithms. It consists of a four-wheeled ground vehicle and a six-degree-of-freedom robotic manipulator. This work investigates the use of optimal control to execute orbital trajectories on ROME using the Udwadia-Kalaba (UK) formulation to model the system dynamics. The UK formulation is a novel method to derive equations of motion for constrained systems. Unlike traditional approaches, the UK approach can be applied directly to any constrained dynamical system. This project utilizes the UK approach to derive dynamics with trajectory following constraints for the ROME ground vehicle and robotic manipulator. These dynamics are implemented on the ground vehicle hardware and demonstrated by following an elliptical orbit trajectory. Motion capture cameras are used to compare the tracked motion of the ground vehicle with the desired trajectory. This research enables the development of cheaper and more capable spacecraft, allowing them to execute more sophisticated on-board control algorithms while using less processing power. Future work will investigate applying the UK formulation to the ROME system to model proximity operations and perform HIL testing with spacecraft sensors such as inertial measurements units (IMUs) and star trackers.

Thesis Completion Year

2026

Thesis Completion Semester

Spring

Thesis Chair

Elgohary, Tarek

College

College of Engineering and Computer Science

Department

Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Thesis Discipline

Aerospace Engineering

Language

English

Access Status

Open Access

Length of Campus Access

None

Campus Location

Orlando (Main) Campus

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