Demonstrating Reinforcement Learning and Run Time Assurance for Spacecraft Inspection Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Dunlap, Kyle, Hamilton, Nathaniel, Lippay, Zachary, Shubert, Matthew, Phillips, Sean, Hobbs, Kerianne L.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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_version_ 1866917662861295616
author Dunlap, Kyle
Hamilton, Nathaniel
Lippay, Zachary
Shubert, Matthew
Phillips, Sean
Hobbs, Kerianne L.
author_facet Dunlap, Kyle
Hamilton, Nathaniel
Lippay, Zachary
Shubert, Matthew
Phillips, Sean
Hobbs, Kerianne L.
contents On-orbit spacecraft inspection is an important capability for enabling servicing and manufacturing missions and extending the life of spacecraft. However, as space operations become increasingly more common and complex, autonomous control methods are needed to reduce the burden on operators to individually monitor each mission. In order for autonomous control methods to be used in space, they must exhibit safe behavior that demonstrates robustness to real world disturbances and uncertainty. In this paper, neural network controllers (NNCs) trained with reinforcement learning are used to solve an inspection task, which is a foundational capability for servicing missions. Run time assurance (RTA) is used to assure safety of the NNC in real time, enforcing several different constraints on position and velocity. The NNC and RTA are tested in the real world using unmanned aerial vehicles designed to emulate spacecraft dynamics. The results show this emulation is a useful demonstration of the capability of the NNC and RTA, and the algorithms demonstrate robustness to real world disturbances.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2405_06770
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Demonstrating Reinforcement Learning and Run Time Assurance for Spacecraft Inspection Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
Dunlap, Kyle
Hamilton, Nathaniel
Lippay, Zachary
Shubert, Matthew
Phillips, Sean
Hobbs, Kerianne L.
Systems and Control
On-orbit spacecraft inspection is an important capability for enabling servicing and manufacturing missions and extending the life of spacecraft. However, as space operations become increasingly more common and complex, autonomous control methods are needed to reduce the burden on operators to individually monitor each mission. In order for autonomous control methods to be used in space, they must exhibit safe behavior that demonstrates robustness to real world disturbances and uncertainty. In this paper, neural network controllers (NNCs) trained with reinforcement learning are used to solve an inspection task, which is a foundational capability for servicing missions. Run time assurance (RTA) is used to assure safety of the NNC in real time, enforcing several different constraints on position and velocity. The NNC and RTA are tested in the real world using unmanned aerial vehicles designed to emulate spacecraft dynamics. The results show this emulation is a useful demonstration of the capability of the NNC and RTA, and the algorithms demonstrate robustness to real world disturbances.
title Demonstrating Reinforcement Learning and Run Time Assurance for Spacecraft Inspection Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
topic Systems and Control
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2405.06770