Space Apps Challenge 2018

PoliBeetle-7 | Design by Nature

Milano

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The Challenge | Design by Nature

Design an autonomous free-flyer to inspect a spacecraft for damage from Micro-Meteoroid and Orbital Debris (MMOD).

PoliBeetle-7

PoliBeetle-7 is a free-flyer inspired by humans and insects sight. Its purpose is to scan the damages any spacecraft faces during its lifetime. The main project philosophy is based on the LIDAR technology.

Our team built a CubeSat, a small satellite, which purpose is to analyse the damages caused by MMOD and debris. We firstly faced the propulsion problem and we decided to consider a ionic engine as it is the most economic and lightest. Then we decided to consider a RADAR system simulating an object detection, but we ran into the problem of the resolution in range which is not enough for the mission objective. Eventually, we considered the LIDAR technology which perfectly fits our needs, even if it is more expensive.

Here it is possible to find the link for the presentation of the project:

https://prezi.com/rvhv4qg-sq-v/polibeetle-7/

Here it is possible to find all the documents and codes made during our work:

https://github.com/DeLillo96/PoliBeetle-7

SpaceApps is a NASA incubator innovation program.