NASA continues to innovate in the field of space robotics with a new significant advance: the implementation of the Astrobee free flying robotequipped with flexible arms inspired by the tentacles of an octopus.
The person in charge of sharing this new development was the astronaut Sunnita Williamsone of the two people stranded in space, after having flown to the International Space Station (ISS) last June to test Boeing’s new Starliner capsule, but could not return in it due to repeated safety failures.
The truth is that Williams and his partner Barry ‘Butch’ Wilmore took off on June 5 from Florida (USA) aboard the Starliner heading to the ISS as part of the Crew Flight Test (CFT) test mission, the first flight from Boeing that was to last 8 days.
But, shortly before reaching the orbital station, the capsule suffered several helium leaks and failures in the thruster systems that forced the duration of the mission to be extended. First it was weeks and then months. Ultimately, NASA leadership determined that the ship should return to Earth without a crew, and that Butch and Suni would return aboard the SpaceX Dragon capsule used in the Crew-9 mission last September.
The Starliner left the ISS without its two crew members and about six hours later it successfully landed at White Sands, which was the closing of an eventful mission whose objective was the certification of the capsule by NASA so that it can operate as a transport and cargo service. Which hasn’t happened yet.
In the last hours, NASA announced that the two stranded NASA astronauts will not return to Earth until the end of March 2025. due to the delay in the launch of the next Crew-10 mission caused by the development of a new SpaceX spacecraft for said mission.
Thus, the NASA and SpaceX team determined that The “best option” was to launch Crew-10 at the end of March, once construction of the new Dragon spacecraft is complete, which would achieve the ISS goals by 2025.
“The manufacturing, assembly, testing and final integration of a new spacecraft is a painstaking effort requiring great attention to detailSteve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, said of the delay.
The Astrobee robot is part of a project developed by NASA that includes three cube-shaped robotic systems, designed to assist astronauts on the ISS.
These robots, which have the ability to fly freely, perform a wide range of tasks. Among its most notable functions are the documenting experiments, conducting inventories, and autonomous navigation within the space laboratory. One of the advantages of these robots is their ability to dock and recharge without human intervention, making them key assistants in an environment as complex as the ISS.
Aboard the space station, astronaut Suni Williams, commander of Expedition 72, has become one of the main figures in the testing and demonstration of this new technology.
In a recent photograph shared by NASA, Williams appears posing next to one of the Astrobee robotsimitating the movements of his curved arms. These arms are designed to wrap around objects, opening the door to a variety of applications.
This experiment not only highlights the ability of robots to assist in daily tasks for astronauts, but also opens up a range of possibilities for satellite maintenance and space debris management in the future.
One of the most innovative features of this experiment is the incorporation of the “responsive docking arms for captive care and handling” (REACCH)a technology that has been successfully tested on one of the Astrobee robots.
These arms, which extend from the robot’s body, are flexible and equipped with adhesive pads similar to those found in lizards, allowing them to adhere to various surfaces. This capability is critical for future space applications, as it could allow spacecraft to capture objects in spacesuch as satellites and debris, regardless of their size, shape or surface material.
The NASA team has used this technology to carry out a series of tests with the Astrobee robot aboard the ISS. One of the main objectives of the experiment has been to study how flexible arms behave in the microgravity environment, and how they can interact with floating objects. REACCH technology is also designed to observe the physics of interactions between various objects in orbit, and evaluate the robot’s ability to safely and efficiently capture and relocate objects in space.
One of the biggest challenges facing space agencies is the growing amount of space debris orbiting Earth. With thousands of satellites, rocket parts and other objects floating in space, the accumulation of debris poses a risk to future space missions. The REACCH system, with its tentacle arms, has the potential to revolutionize the way this waste is managed.
This innovative approach not only offers a practical solution for space debris management, but also opens up new opportunities for perform maintenance tasks that previously could only be carried out in an expensive manner and complex through manned missions or larger robots.
REACCH technology is just one of many advances being developed to make operations in space more efficient. As humans explore space and establish bases on the Moon or Mars, In-orbit support and maintenance needs become increasingly essential.
Robots like Astrobee, equipped with advanced technologies such as REACCH flexible arms, They could be the future assistants of astronauts, allowing them to focus on more complex and dangerous tasks while the robots handle the more repetitive or dangerous work.
The possibility of having autonomous robots that can perform maintenance and repair tasks without human intervention direct also offers the advantage of reducing risks for astronauts. Additionally, long-term space missions, such as those planned to Mars, will benefit greatly from advanced robotics, as they could perform essential tasks without the need to constantly return to Earth.
Despite promising possibilities, REACCH technology and other advances in space robotics face several challenges. The main difficulty lies in the robots’ ability to operate efficiently in space, where microgravity conditions and lack of atmosphere present unique technical obstacles.
