Browsing by Author "Waller, Robert"

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    A CubeSat docking module prototype
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2022-04) Waller, Robert; Visagie, Lourens; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Engineering. Dept. of Electrical and Electronic Engineering.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The ability to dock cubesats on orbit opens up a large range of possibilities for mission designers and planners. This thesis describes the development of parts of a cubesat sized docking module. Specifically, t he p ose e stimation system and docking interface. The pose estimation system was designed using a camera and marker system. The software of the system included blob detection, distortion correction and pose calculations. The individual elements of the system were tested followed by a full system test. The system was found to be relatively accurate, however, when the marker was not in the image centre, the accuracy of the system decreased massively. The design of the docking interface included the investigation of 3 different concept mechanisms. Two of the three mechanism were pursued to a docking module concept phase and one of these was then prototyped. It was found that the prototype showed promised in terms of the docking ability and provided many insights into its manufacturability. The feasibility of the two system as space-ready solutions was investigated. The systems were found to not require major changes to convert them to space-ready options. The complete system seems to show much promise for a docking module however more development is required to find a complete solution. A few suggestions were made into what needs to be done and some recommendations about improvements to the system were made.