Hybrid Realtime Simulation of the Space Docking Process

In order to test the space docking mechanism on the ground, the docking process of two spacecrafts must be simulated. The hybrid simulation (hardware-in-loop simulation) is a preferred method for its great applicability to different spacecrafts. Therefore, a space docking hybrid simulation (SDHS) prototype system is established. In this system actual spacecrafts are replaced by virtual ones and the docking dynamics model is built according to moment of momentum equations of the spacecrafts. Then a distributed realtime computer system is used for calculating the relative motion of the spacecrafts and driving a Stewart platform to implement this motion. Adopting an imitated docking mechanism in the experiment, the whole process of space docking is simulated successfully. On the basis of this system, a SDHS system using for testing actual docking mechanisms can be constructed in the future