Space SMART Think Tank
Servicing, Manufacturing, Assembly, Robotics, and Transportation
Space SMART Think Tank
The Future of Space Operations with In-space Servicing Manufacturing Assembly Robotics and Transportation (SMART)
Graduate Student Workshop
2-day Virtual Event with Plenary and Breakout Sessions
Date: TBD (July 2021)
Purpose: Bring together graduate student community pushing the state of the art to enable future space operations using SMART.
Background: SMART capabilities hold the potential to transform space operations from unitary spacecraft in fixed orbits with all of the fuel and instruments that they will ever have to a routinely serviced and updated ecosystem of agile, resilient spacecraft whose capabilities are not limited by what fits in a single launch vehicle. They create an ecosystem of persistent spacecraft that are built and assembled in space, refueled and technologically updated, and have the ability to move and maneuver freely in space. Together they would form a robust space infrastructure of in-space supply chain, logistics and construction. We are charting course towards the future through missions such as DARPA’s RSGS mission, NASA’s OSAM-1 and OSAM-2 missions, and Northrop Grumman’s MEV-1 & MEV-2 missions, among other activities. Academic partnership through fundamental and applied research as well as the ability for current graduate students, who are the future workforce, to enable SMART is foundational to success.
Approach: This workshop will be the first convening of this SMART graduate student community to interact with representatives from the SMART community across the space enterprise to address key questions:
1. What is the future of space our generation wants to build?
2. Why would our future space ecosystem look like that?
3. How can we use SMART to make our vision for space a reality?
Expectations: Compile thoughts from diverse community on challenges and opportunities to achieve the SMART vision through actionable next steps in research for collective outreach to relevant stakeholders.
Background: SMART capabilities hold the potential to transform space operations from unitary spacecraft in fixed orbits with all of the fuel and instruments that they will ever have to a routinely serviced and updated ecosystem of agile, resilient spacecraft whose capabilities are not limited by what fits in a single launch vehicle. They create an ecosystem of persistent spacecraft that are built and assembled in space, refueled and technologically updated, and have the ability to move and maneuver freely in space. Together they would form a robust space infrastructure of in-space supply chain, logistics and construction. We are charting course towards the future through missions such as DARPA’s RSGS mission, NASA’s OSAM-1 and OSAM-2 missions, and Northrop Grumman’s MEV-1 & MEV-2 missions, among other activities. Academic partnership through fundamental and applied research as well as the ability for current graduate students, who are the future workforce, to enable SMART is foundational to success.
Approach: This workshop will be the first convening of this SMART graduate student community to interact with representatives from the SMART community across the space enterprise to address key questions:
1. What is the future of space our generation wants to build?
2. Why would our future space ecosystem look like that?
3. How can we use SMART to make our vision for space a reality?
Expectations: Compile thoughts from diverse community on challenges and opportunities to achieve the SMART vision through actionable next steps in research for collective outreach to relevant stakeholders.