Zero-G testing on Europe’s flattest floor

A five-strong team called Coco ‘Satellite Control based on a Compliant Thrust Vectoring Mechanism’ from the University of Southampton came to ESTEC through the ESA Academy Experiments programme.

Here they tested out their novel control system for small satellite manoeuvring and rendezvous. 

After successfully completing all phases of the ESA Experiments programme in a timely manner and with the guidance from ESA Academy and facility experts, team Coco began a two week-long test campaign at ESTEC’s Orbital Robotics Laboratory.  

The Southampton students made use of the Lab’s ORBIT, Orbital Robotics test Bench for Integrated Technology, which is an ultra-flat 45 sq. m epoxy floor – deviating less than a millimetre from horizontal over the entire floor. 

Kept rigorously clean of dust, ORBIT operates like an air hockey table in reverse: air-bearing platforms can be sent scooting across it without friction; the hovercraft-like test platforms behave as if they were weightless. Arranged around the floor is a motion capture camera system to capture the precise behaviour of these platforms. 

Such scrutiny is important because weightlessness effects can be counterintuitive – “even a very light contact force can trigger large changes in motion, so we always aim for surgical precision,” says Marti Vilella from ESA’s Orbital Robotics team.  

In the past ORBIT has been used to simulate the capture of orbital debris and the interlocking together of satellite elements. The ORBIT facility is essential for recreating the weightlessness of space on Earth and, with that, validating the design of orbiting systems before they are sent to space. 

The Coco project aims to make small satellites manoeuvrable using fewer thrusters. In order to allow them to move in all directions, it is quite common for satellites to have multiple thrusters studded in all directions. By contrast, the project’s ‘Compliant Thrust Vectoring Mechanism’ involves as few as two thrusters, but able to be rotated by vectoring mechanisms for firing in any direction, while avoiding the friction involved in traditional vectoring mechanisms. The aim is to achieve the same versatile satellite motion while reducing mass, volume and overall costs.  

The project is the collaborative effort of five students from the University of Southampton; Marcin Badowski, Elena Carulla Ruiz, Nesto Papageorgiou, Pedro Rodriquez López and Fabrizio Pisani, developed as part of their final year Masters in Spacecraft Engineering. 

“The campaign at ORL greatly enhanced our skills in performing tests properly and efficiently,” comments team member Marcin Badowski. “The assistance from the ESA Academy and ORL was invaluable. From the start, they clearly communicated what we needed to prepare to make the most of our campaign. The state-of-the-art microgravity platforms provided to us enabled our team to meet all our objectives.” 

ESA Academy Experiments programme 

ESA Academy Experiments is a programme designed to support student teams throughout the development of their projects, from concept to operation and data analysis. It guides them through industry-standard engineering practices, effective project management, risk mitigation and successful fundraising techniques. Throughout the project, there is a strong emphasis on regular interaction and guidance from professional engineers and scientists through consistent meetings and documentation.

The outcome of participation is a unique practical experience and training with ESA and its partners, which complements and enhances the academic journey of university students. The programme offers several platforms for teams to carry out their engineering or scientific experiments, providing a comprehensive learning environment.  

The Experiments programme portfolio includes the Orbital Robotics Laboratory, for which team Coco was selected in February 2024.