Mechanical design of a floating pneumatic module for zero-gravity motion simulation

Close Proximity Operations (CPOs) are critical maneuvers between two on-orbit spacecrafts which demand an accurate control in a micro-gravity environment, hence they must be reproduced and simulated with a systematic approach. Consequently, by creating specific facilities and spacecraft simulators, laboratory tests are a crucial aspect to validate the performances of space systems for CPOs. This thesis presents the development, measurements and testing for mass-inertia properties evaluation of a floating pneumatic module, whose dimensions are representative of a 12U CubeSat system. The vehicle has been designed to perform planar low friction motion over a levelled table for docking experiments. The thesis focuses on the mechanical design of the module, which has revolved around two main requirements: (1) the possibility to accommodate a docking system for complete modularity and adaptability to different devices (e.g.: docking port); (2) the control of the position of the center of mass of the system to ensure uniform floating and pure rotations with an actuated pneumatic system. The first half illustrates a detailed overview of the assigned requirements and complete design of the module, from the early stages of development to the final one. The second half presents the several measurements and tests which have been performed to estimate the mass-inertia properties of the vehicle. The main goal has been to improve the estimation provided by the CAD model of the fully assembled system through the realization of dedicated setups to find and control the position of the center of mass and through the execution of simple rotational motions to calculate the inertia around the main axis.