CONTROLLED DYNAMICS INC. — National Aeronautics and Space Administration SBIR Phase I: H9

Description

CDI has developed a free-floating isolation and pointing technology that addresses a critical need for free-space optical communications. This research develops a new inertial sensor to replace an obsolete sensor and provide improved robustness and performance, while staying within the size/mass/power and operational environment constraints for space terminals.Packaged into 2-axis strut assemblies, the design is modular to accommodate a wide range of space terminal geometries. Using inertial sensors and non-contact actuators, the design provides 6-DOF isolation with high-bandwidth active stabilization to attenuate a broad range of both on-platform and host-spacecraft disturbances. By developing new inertial sensors tolerant to the deep-space environment, CDIrsquo;s isolation and pointing technology will be sufficiently robust and reliable to support all NASA mission classes in the future.Phase I will establish the feasibility of the inertial sensor design through architecture development, simulation, and proof-of-concept prototype demonstration. Phase II will develop and qualify the inertial sensor and then integrate it into an updated design for the 2-axis strut assembly. Four prototype strut assemblies will be delivered in Phase II, complete with design updates from lessons learned on the Psyche DSOC technology demonstration mission.