Electronics Weekly
The large steel structure – to simulate microgravity here on Earth – is located at the Catapult’s site in Westcott, Buckinghamshire, with construction and testing now finished.
Funded by the UK Space Agency, the new facilities mark the conclusion of a major upgrade to the ISAM unit. The Catapult explains:
“After construction off-site at Amentum, the contractor that handled the engineering and building of this solution, the gravity off-load system was disassembled, transported to our facility in the Westcott Venture Park, and reassembled in the ISAM test facility. After a series of operations to properly tension and calibrate the system, this expansion to our facility means that we can now handle larger payloads in more unique configurations than ever before.”
Gravity Offload System?
What is a Gravity Offload System? Basically, any device or system that reduces the force felt by gravity. It allows objects to move freely
This is especially important for testing ISAM solutions designed to operate in the microgravity of orbit.
According to the Catapult, there are many ways of achieving this. For example, using air bearings, water buoyancy systems, and complex pulley systems. The Westcott system uses a spring balance system that can be tuned to a payload’s mass to perfectly offset gravity.
These “payloads” can be objects ranging from simulated space debris to orbital refuelling targets or service modules. All of these can now undergo testing in the Westcott facility.
Physical forces
The Catapult adds:
“Whilst our robotics systems are able to use incredibly advanced software to mimic the movement of spacecraft interacting in orbit, this system relies on direct physical forces to determine the movement of the target – in short, if you push the target, it moves away. For campaigns attempting to approach, capture, service or refuel a target, there is no better validation than a physics-based gravity offload system to validate your ISAM solution.”
Pictured above is the gravity offload system and associated robotic arm
Image: Satellite Applications Catapult
See also: Satellite Applications Catapult reveals Space Living Lab winners
