Seminar: Rapid In-Space Assembly and Manufacturing of Next-Generation Space Structures - Mar. 5
Harsh Bhundiya
PhD candidate, MIT Aerospace Materials and Structures Laboratory
Wednesday, Mar. 5 | 9:30 a.m. | AERO 111
Abstract: Modern deployable space structures have enabled spectacular missions like the James Webb Space Telescope, but they are constrained by fairing size and by a tradeoff between deployed size and structural precision that limits their use for future communications and astronomy applications. In-space assembly and manufacturing (ISAM), or the robotic construction of structures in space, offers a promising solution to overcome these issues and enable novel spacecraft architectures on orbit and on planetary surfaces. Structures constructed in space can achieve higher packaging ratios and be optimized for loads on orbit; however, current ISAM concepts are hindered by inefficient manufacturing processes with high power requirements and challenges in the coupled design of spacecraft and fabricated structures. In this talk, I present my work addressing these issues to enable energy-efficient, rapid ISAM of large space structures. I first discuss designing manufacturing processes for space, using a quantitative framework for material and process selection that considers the important metrics of thermal stability, energy consumption, and accuracy. This analysis suggests deformation processes are well-suited for ISAM, due to an order of magnitude lower energy consumption than other candidate processes. Next, I discuss the design of ISAM spacecraft through an analysis of fabrication time, considering constraints such as power, attitude control authority, and avoidance of control-structure interactions. This analysis shows how attitude control authority is the most dominant constraint on fabrication time of large-diameter structures and the importance of using multiple spacecraft to decrease fabrication time. Finally, I synthesize my results with an exemplary ISAM process, termed Bend-Forming, which can efficiently form truss structures from metallic feedstock. I highlight its application for constructing large reflector antennas and ongoing efforts to understand attitude control during fabrication, paving the way for a future space demonstration.Ìý
Bio: Harsh Bhundiya is a PhD candidate in the MIT Aerospace Materials and Structures Laboratory. His research interests lie in spacecraft structures, deployable structures, and space robotics. He currently researches the deformation processing of large truss support structures and the design of spacecraft for in-space assembly and manufacturing. Prior to his PhD, he completed a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Caltech in 2020 and a M.S. in Aeronautics and Astronautics from MIT in 2022. He received the 2022 AIAA Spacecraft Structures Best Paper Award and is a NASA Space Technology Graduate Research Fellow.Ìý