Space rendezvous and docking

The technology that spacecraft will be integrated into a whole structure in space orbit

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synonym Rendezvous and docking (Rendezvous and docking) generally refers to space rendezvous and docking

Space rendezvous and docking is the process of orbital rendezvous and docking between two manned spacecraft.^[15] Is to implement Space Station 、 space shuttle , space platforms and Space transport system Space assembly, recovery, supply, maintenance astronaut Exchange, rescue and other services on the track precondition 。 It is one of the three major manned space activities Basic technology one of.

The rendezvous and docking process includes four stages, and can be divided into four operation modes according to the degree of intervention of astronauts and the level of intelligent control.

Chinese name: Space rendezvous and docking
Foreign name: rendezvous and docking

Equipment involved: Two spacecraft 、 Space orbit
Stage: Long range guidance section, short range guidance section, etc
control type: Remote control operation, manual operation

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Rendezvous and docking

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Rendezvous and docking , are two spacecraft realization Orbital rendezvous And complete the docking process, which is often referred to as "the kiss of space". It can be system design AutoComplete It can also be manually operated by astronauts, and the whole docking process is like "needle threading". The passive docking party is called "target aircraft", while the active docking party is called "tracking aircraft". The tracking aircraft can complete docking from the forward, backward and radial directions of the target aircraft.^[12]

Docking process

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Space rendezvous and docking (6 sheets)

1. The ground launch tracking spacecraft is controlled by the ground, so that it is slightly lower than the target spacecraft Circular orbit function;

2. Through Hohmann orbit change, make it enter the orbit basically consistent with the height of the target spacecraft, and establish a communication relationship with the target spacecraft;

3. The tracking spacecraft adjusts its relative distance and attitude with the target spacecraft and approaches the target spacecraft;

4. When the distance between the two spacecraft is zero, the docking operation is completed and the docking process is ended.^[1]

Docking phase

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In the process of rendezvous and docking, the flight of the tracking vehicle can be divided into four stages: long-range guidance, short-range guidance, final approach and docking:

Remote guidance section

With the support of ground TT&C, the tracking vehicle has passed several times Track change Maneuver into a tracking spacecraft sensor Can capture target spacecraft Range (generally 15~100 km).

Short range guidance section

The relative of the tracking vehicle to the target vehicle measured by its own microwave and laser sensors Motion parameters , automatically guided to the initial position near the target aircraft Aiming point (0.5~1 km away from the target aircraft).

Final approach section

The tracking aircraft first captures the docking axis of the target aircraft. When the docking axis is not along Orbital flight In the direction, the tracking vehicle is required to Track plane The aircraft is circumnavigated to enter the docking corridor. At this time, the distance between the two aircraft is about 100 meters, relative velocity About 1-3 m/s.

Docking section

The International Space Station is built by docking several segments^[2]

The tracking vehicle uses a measurement system Measure the distance, relative speed and attitude of the two aircraft accurately, and start the small engine to maneuver, so that it can approach the target along the docking corridor. Before docking, turn off the engine, collide with the target at a stop speed of 0.15~0.18 m/s, and finally use the bolt cone or isomorphic peripheral Butt joint device Grab of Buffer , power transmission mechanism and locking mechanism make the two aircrafts realize Hardwired , complete information transmission Bus power cord Connection with fluid pipeline.^[2]

control type

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The implementation of space rendezvous and docking technology of spacecraft must be completed by advanced control system according to astronaut and ground station The degree of participation can control Mode division Remote control operation, manual operation Auto-Control and Autonomous control Four types:

Remote control operation

The control of tracking spacecraft does not depend on astronaut , all of which are realized by the ground station through telemetry and remote control. At this time, it is required to set up a global station or Relay satellite Assistance.

Manual operation

On the ground Measurement and control station Under the guidance of, astronauts observed and judged the attitude and orbit of the tracking spacecraft on the orbit, and then started to operate. This is a mature method.

Auto-Control

Instead of relying on astronauts, rendezvous and docking are realized by the combination of onboard equipment and ground stations. This control method also requires global station setup or Relay satellite Assistance.

Autonomous control

Instead of relying on astronauts and ground stations, the rendezvous and docking are completely realized by on-board equipment.

In essence, the above classification can be classified as manual control mode or automatic control mode. So far, the United States has mostly used manual control, while the Soviet Union/Russia has mainly used automatic control.

Difference

The advantages of manned space rendezvous and docking are: it can improve the success rate of rendezvous and docking; Be able to correct errors and remove faults in the rendezvous system in time; Save fuel and time. The advantages of automatic rendezvous and docking are: no complex life support system is required, high reliability, and personnel safety and lifesaving issues are not considered. The future development trend of rendezvous and docking is the combination of human control and self-control to improve the flexibility, reliability and success rate of rendezvous and docking.^[17]

Docking mechanism

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According to the different structures and working principles of the docking mechanism, Space docking mechanism It can be divided into four types: "ring cone" type, "rod cone" type, "heterogeneous isomorphic peripheral" type and "grab collision lock" type:

"Ring cone" type

The "ring cone" mechanism is the earliest docking mechanism, which consists of an inner truncated cone and an outer truncated cone. The inner truncated cone is installed in a series of Buffer Up, so that it can absorb Impact energy 。

This structure has been used for docking between the American "Gemini" spacecraft and the "Arkina" rocket, as well as the American "Gemini" spacecraft.

"Rod cone" type

The "rod cone" mechanism (also called "pin cone" structure) is composed of two parts: Spacecraft docking The docking mechanism with bolts and cones is respectively installed on the surface, that is, a receiving cone is installed in the docking mechanism of one spacecraft, and a docking collision bar is installed on the other spacecraft. During docking, the collision bar gradually points into the receiving cone, and the receiving cone will club head Lock. Because this docking structure does not have both active and passive functions, it is not conducive to the implementation of space rescue.

Russia "Alliance" spacecraft and Salute space station , "Alliance TM" spacecraft and Heping Space Station , USA“ Apollo ” Lunar module And Command module This kind of docking mechanism has been used for docking.

"Heterogeneous isomorphic peripheral" type

The "heterogeneous isomorphic peripheral" docking mechanism can overcome the shortcomings of the "rod cone" mechanism, because it meets the following two requirements:

① The docking mechanism is heterogeneous and isomorphic, so that the spacecraft can be both active and passive, which is particularly important for space rescue;

② The docking mechanism must be peripheral, that is, all directional and power components are installed in the center hatch So as to ensure that the central part becomes a space for passage.

Soviet Union "Soyu-19" spacecraft and the American "Apollo 18" spacecraft space shuttle And the "Peace" space station, the space shuttle The International Space Station Such docking mechanism is used for docking. The docking system between the space shuttle and the International Space Station has also added advanced Integrated measurement system , including GPS navigation Receiving system, data tracking and relay Navigation and communication receiving system, microwave rendezvous radar system, laser docking radar system, optical docking camera system, etc., in addition, astronauts display device （ Space sextant 、 telescope , Display Fluorescent screen Etc.).

"Grab collision lock" type

"Grab collision lock" mechanism is divided into Crisscross And three-point. In fact, the two organizations are the same in nature, but different in layout. The former is arranged with four grips and strikers around, while the latter is arranged with three grips and strikers around.

Both docking mechanisms are designed without sealing performance and access port, and are suitable for docking with unmanned spacecraft, such as unmanned spacecraft Space platform 、 space tug Etc.^[3]

measurement system

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The measurement system can be called the eye for spacecraft rendezvous and docking.

Space rendezvous and docking

The rendezvous measurement system used by Russian spacecraft to dock with the space station was originally called "needle", and later added digital computer It was also renamed "Heading". The "heading" measurement system has high reliability Operating distance In particular, there is no need for the huge "Peace" space station to make any maneuvers and attitude changes. The astronauts can also use displays and keyboards for manual control. The system uses S-band microwave radar in medium and long distance, and has Laser range finder Visual inspection Optical collimator 。 Its S-band Microwave radar Installed on the airship, including automatic Seeker 、 Range finder and radial velocity Measuring device ； The space station is equipped with beacon 、 Transponder and Communication equipment And corresponding search and acquisition orientation sensors. The "heading" system consists of nine antennas to form a search, acquisition, tracking and measurement system (five on the tracking spacecraft and four on the target spacecraft), of which six antennas are used for search, acquisition and initial orientation, one for orientation during docking, and two for mutual tracking relative motion Survey and docking phase orientation. The antenna used for searching is a screw plate antenna, and the antenna used for tracking is Parabolic antenna 。

The US "Gemini" spacecraft docked with the "Arkina" rocket, and the rendezvous measurement system used was L-band incoherent pulse microwave rendezvous radar and visual optical sight. The radar has an operating range of 150m~450km. The target spacecraft is equipped with transponders. Astronauts will manually conduct rendezvous and docking operations through optical sights. The command module of American Apollo spacecraft and Lunar module For docking, the rendezvous measurement system used is an X-band monopulse continuous wave radar and a visual optical sight. This measurement system was also used for the docking of Apollo and Soyuz spacecraft. American Space Shuttle The rendezvous measurement system used for docking with the space station is Ku band pulse Doppler radar Visual optical aimer. It has communication, receiving and sending functions, Scope of action It is 30 meters to 220 kilometers, but the approach and docking are still completed manually.

In recent years, lidar has become more and more popular because of its advantages of curability, light weight, small size, high measurement accuracy and easy measurement of relative attitude. However, it is still in the experimental stage in the international rendezvous and docking. GPS navigation Positioning technology It is relatively mature and has provided strong support for space rendezvous and docking.^[3]

Docking spacecraft

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Among the two spacecraft for space rendezvous and docking, one is called the target spacecraft, generally the space station or other large spacecraft, and is the target for docking; The other is called tracking spacecraft, which is generally Ground launch Of spacecraft , space shuttles, etc. are the objects to dock with the target spacecraft. The docking object can also be an out of control or malfunctioning spacecraft in space.

Main role

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The role of space rendezvous and docking technology is mainly reflected in three aspects.

1. Provide for long-term space facilities Supplies And personnel transportation services. For example, in addition to the early testing phase, Russia Soyuz Manned spacecraft and Progress cargo spaceship This is true of all missions of the US space shuttle, as well as the main tasks of docking with the Mir space station and the International Space Station.

2. Provide construction and operation for large space facilities Maintenance services For example, the 6-segment configuration of Mir space station is directly assembled in orbit by rendezvous and docking, while the construction of the International Space Station not only uses the directly assembled module of rendezvous and docking, but also uses the powerful Transportation capacity And astronauts, including truss 、 solar cell Sailboard And module assembly, while the space shuttle hubble space telescope The maintenance of the Technical support A typical example of on track maintenance service activities. Without rendezvous and docking technology, the construction and reliable operation of these complex space facilities cannot be realized.

3. Proceed Spacecraft Refactoring to achieve system optimization, such as in Apollo moon landing In the task, in Earth orbit and Lunar orbit It is necessary to conduct rendezvous and docking separately, Earth orbit rendezvous Docking solved the problem of lowering the rocket Ascending segment Escape quality and personnel entry Lunar lander Contradiction between channels, moon Rail rendezvous and docking It realizes the functional differentiation and independence between the lunar landing vehicle and the earth returning vehicle, and greatly reduces the demand for rocket delivery capability.

Development and application

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Space rendezvous and docking measurement in the future technological development Medium, microwave Rendezvous radar Will remain reliable Remote measurement Means, and L, S C-band To Ku band and Millimeter wave Frequency band development; In the final approach and docking phase, Optical imaging sensor It has more prominent advantages, so it is also widely used internationally sensor ； Lidar Its advantages are narrow beam, high resolution, small size, light weight, high precision, suitable for close range measurement, and widely valued in various countries; GPS Differential measurement can greatly improve measurement accuracy , Japan ESA GPS is used as an auxiliary measurement means in the process of rendezvous and docking. Rendezvous and docking measuring method It has changed from non autonomous measurement relying on the ground to autonomous measurement not relying on the ground; from astronaut The operational non autonomous docking has developed to be independent of the automatic docking of astronauts.

Unmanned spacecraft also widely use rendezvous and docking technology. For example, the Orbital Life Extending Vehicle developed by Orbital Resurrection Corporation of the United States is equipped with a "universal" cone Interface device , which can be compared with the end of life Communication satellite Of Apogee engine Docking, forming satellite and Propulsive cabin And then provide Track keeping And posture control ability So as to extend the working life 。 The United States also Autonomous rendezvous and docking Technology for“ Orbital Express ”Project, which can be like Aerial tanker It is also the satellite treatment and injection of "sick" propellant This technology can also be used to directly capture enemy satellites.^[4]

Another significant potential of rendezvous and docking technology application area It's a manned moon landing and Deep space exploration Task. These missions require huge carrying capacity. Through multiple launches and rendezvous and docking technologies Low Earth orbit To complete the assembly of the aircraft single shot Carrier rocket The effective way of capability requirements, especially for manned missions such as Mars and beyond, may be the best or even the only way that can be realized in engineering at the current technical level.

Domestic projects

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Shenba docking

At 21:16 on September 29, 2011, Tiangong No.1 As the target aircraft Long March 2 The FT1 carrier rocket was successfully launched.

At 5:58 on November 1, 2011, Shenzhou VIII The spaceship was successfully launched by the modified "Long March II" F Yao-8 rocket.

Shenzhou 8 Tiangong 1 target aircraft completes rendezvous and docking

In the early morning of November 3, 2011, starting from the contact of docking mechanism, after four steps of capture, buffering, drawing and locking“ Shenzhou VIII ”The spacecraft and the "Tiangong-1" target spacecraft successfully achieved rigid connection, forming a combination, and China's first manned space rendezvous and docking test was successful.

The flight segment of spacecraft assembly is composed of“ Tiangong No.1 ”The target aircraft is responsible for the flight control of the assembly, and the Shenzhou VIII spacecraft is in the docking state. After 12 days of the combination flight, Shenzhou VIII spacecraft separated from Tiangong-1 and successfully conducted rendezvous and docking tests with it again, which indicates that China has successfully broken through a series of space rendezvous and docking and the operation of the combination key technology 。

Shenjiu docking

Ship arrow tower assembly is transferred to the front of launching tower

At 18:37 on June 16, 2012, China“ Long March II F ”Yaojiu carrier rocket Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center Manned space launch site Ignition takeoff, accurate orbit insertion in 10 minutes Shenzhou 9 The manned spacecraft was successfully sent into space.

At about 14:00 on June 18, 2012, after completing the capture, buffering, drawing and locking procedures, Shenzhou 9 The docking with Tiangong-1 was successful, and China's first manned rendezvous and docking was successful.

On June 24, 2012, three astronauts will return to the spaceship and shut down each Cabin segment Hatch 。 The spacecraft will evacuate to about 400m away from the target aircraft, and then autonomously control the approach to the target aircraft, park at 140m, and transfer to the astronauts manual control 。 The astronaut will then aim at the cross target of the target aircraft by operating the attitude and translation control handle, control the spacecraft to gradually approach the target aircraft, contact the docking mechanism, and complete Manual control Rendezvous and docking. Three astronauts entered Tiangong-1 again.^[5]

Shenzhou 9 will Tiangong No.1 The target aircraft will carry out China's first manned space rendezvous and docking, which means that China's spacecraft will become a real manned space shuttle, which can send people to the space station or Space laboratory Go to the middle. This will be a significant step in China's manned space history.^[6]

Shenshi docking

On June 11, 2013, Shenzhou 10 Lift off smoothly. As of June 13, Shenzhou 10 had entered the scheduled orbit, and the first rendezvous and docking between Shenzhou 10 and Tiangong 1 took place at noon on June 13.^[1] In this space flight, Nie Haisheng 、 Zhang Xiaoguang Wang Yaping, three astronauts, worked and lived in space for 15 days. Shenzhou 10 spacecraft has conducted one automatic rendezvous and docking with Tiangong 1 and one manned manned rendezvous and docking.^[7]

Shenxi docking

Shenzhou 11 The manned spacecraft will be launched on October 17, 2016 with two astronauts“ Tiangong No.2 ”The space laboratory conducts rendezvous and docking to form an assembly. The astronauts will work and live here for 30 days. This will be the longest manned flight in China so far, and it will also be Shenzhou airship The last manned flight before building the space station.^[8]

At present, Tiangong-2 has been adjusted to a 393 km near circular rendezvous and docking orbit, establishing a rendezvous and docking attitude and manned environment. The assessment confirmed that Tiangong-2 met the requirements of manned rendezvous and docking and the stay of astronauts, and had done a good job with Shenzhou 11 Preparation for rendezvous and docking.^[9]

Tianzhou-3 cargo spaceship

according to China Manned Space Engineering Office Message, Beijing Time At 5:02 on April 20, Tianzhou-3 Freight spacecraft from the space station Tianhe Core Module The backward port was separated, flew around to the forward port, and completed automatic rendezvous and docking at 9:06. At present, the space station Tianhe core module and Tianzhou-3 combination are in good condition, and will meet Tianzhou IV Cargo spaceship Shenzhou 14 Manned spacecraft and Sky Quest Module Visit of.^[10]

Tianzhou IV cargo spaceship

In the early morning of May 10, 2022, the Tianzhou IV cargo spaceship was successfully launched. The Tianzhou-4 cargo spaceship rendezvous and docking with the orbiting space station assembly. The Tianzhou IV cargo spaceship launched this time uses the rapid rendezvous and docking technology, which only takes 6.5 hours.^[11]

Mengtian Experimental Module

At 4:27 on November 1, 2022, Mengtian Experimental Module It was successfully docked to the forward port of Tianhe core module, and the whole docking process lasted about 13 hours.^[13]

Shenzhou 15 manned spacecraft

According to the China Manned Space Engineering Office, after the Shenzhou XV manned spacecraft entered orbit, it was successfully docked to the forward port of the space station and the core module at 5:42 on November 30, 2022, Beijing time. The whole docking process lasted about 6.5 hours.^[14]

At 3:10 on June 6, 2023, the Tianzhou V cargo spacecraft completed the rendezvous and docking with the space station assembly again.^[16]

Outlook

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The technology of rendezvous and docking is to build China's manned space station , ensure Manned Space Engineering One of the technological cornerstones of sustainable development. Rendezvous and docking technology involves many systems and complex technologies, which requires further development and breakthroughs in several technical fields of manned space engineering systems. At the same time, the breakthrough of rendezvous and docking technology will also drive China space technology The overall progress of China Aerospace Overall strength.

According to the technology itself Development trend And the future space technology For the needs of military and civilian fields, we can summarize the future rendezvous and docking technology and application prospects as follows:

(1) The rendezvous and docking will be developed as soon as possible into an independent, simple and frequently used routine space operation technology. First of all Unmanned spacecraft To improve Autonomy To achieve full autonomy. About Manned spacecraft The relationship between astronauts and autonomy should be weighed from the perspective of overall safety and reliability. Then further simplify the equipment used for rendezvous and docking (including lightweight, low power consumption ), Operation safety Reliable and intelligent software make rendezvous and docking a mature technology that can be used anytime and anywhere for military and civilian space missions.

(2) Develop light, simple and independent Space rendezvous And capture sensor Technology. So far, space rendezvous and docking flight phase division and operation (including guidance) are based on Relative measurement Sensor types. Therefore, if we can develop sensors that can be both independent and easy to measure, it will be of great significance to the level and reliability of space rendezvous and docking. The so-called simple measurement sensor is that rendezvous and docking is relatively hundreds of kilometers away to tens of meters (or several meters) away from the approaching distance. The measurement sensors used are few in type, simple in structure, light in weight, low in power consumption, and meet the requirements of navigation and Guidance accuracy Requirements.

(3) We will develop a variety of docking mechanisms. According to different purposes of rendezvous and docking, various docking mechanisms should be developed. The first is the docking of delivering people and goods. This docking mechanism must have a closed channel. At present, this docking mechanism is required to be light in structure, reliable in performance and reusable for many times. The second is non manned spacecraft The purpose of docking is to connect different aircraft together to form a large space structure 。 This type of docking mechanism requires a reliable and simple structure. For example, a trident docking mechanism or a latch and handle structure. The third is to repair faulty spacecraft in orbit. Such docking mechanisms are currently being developed and require modularization and standardization for wide use. The docking mode should match the characteristics of the docking mechanism. There are two docking modes: one is called in orbit docking, and the other is docking first and then docking Mechanical arm Capture (capture), and then rely on the robot arm to help achieve docking.

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