Astrobee is a robotic system developed by the US space agency

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

to assist

astronauts An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a List of human spaceflight programs, human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member of a spa ...

aboard the

International Space Station The International Space Station (ISS) is a large space station that was Assembly of the International Space Station, assembled and is maintained in low Earth orbit by a collaboration of five space agencies and their contractors: NASA (United ...

(ISS). Astrobee consists of three 12.5-inch cube-shaped robots named Honey, Queen, and Bumble, along with software and a docking station for recharging. Astrobee was created to perform some routine tasks on the ISS, allowing astronauts to focus on tasks which require human activities.

Overview

Astrobee can operate either autonomously or under remote control by astronauts, flight controllers, or ground researchers. The robots are equipped with cameras and sensors to navigate the microgravity environment and perform tasks such as inventory management, experiment documentation, and cargo movement. The robots utilize an electric fan to push air through 12 nozzles, enabling free flight within the space station. Astrobee was designed to improve upon the design of the Synchornized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites (

SPHERES The Synchronized Position Hold Engage and Reorient Experimental Satellite (SPHERES) are a series of miniaturized satellites developed by MIT's Space Systems Laboratory for NASA and US Military, to be used as a low-risk, extensible test bed for t ...

) which were already aboard the ISS. Each robot is a 12.5-inch cube with a perching arm that allows it to grasp handrails for energy conservation, to manipulate items, and assist astronauts.

History

The docking station launched on November 17, 2018, aboard Northrop Grumman's Cygnus NG-10 mission and was installed on February 15, 2019, in the Japanese Experiment Module. Free-flying robots Bumble and Honey launched on April 17, 2019, via the NG-11 mission. The third robot, Queen, and three perching arms were launched on July 25, 2019, aboard SpaceX's SpX-18 mission. Honey ultimately ended up returning to Earth aboard SpX-23 for maintenance and returned to the space station aboard NG-19.

Additional information

Astrobee, like

before it, is a part of NASA's initiative to advance guest research on the ISS. Using the robots, researchers on Earth are able to access most of the space station without the need for astronaut interaction. In addition to research opportunities, Astrobee has been used for educational purposes, with teams of students using them to complete challenges similar to tasks robots may be used for in the future. The propulsion system of each Astrobee robot relies on a pair of impellers that pressurize air inside the robot. This pressurized air can then be vented through 12 different nozzles, allowing the robot to rotate or translate in any direction without the need for external moving parts or pressurized gas canisters. Astrobee is equipped with multiple cameras, a touch screen, a laser pointer, lights, and a 'Terminate Button' that, when pressed, quickly shuts down the propulsion and payload systems while keeping the main processors operational for communication with ground control. The onboard sensing and computing capabilities enable Astrobee to operate autonomously, and its flight software, based on

ROS Ros or ROS or RoS may refer to: Organizations * Raggruppamento Operativo Speciale, the Anti-organized Crime Branch of the Italian Carabinieri * Registers of Scotland, a Scottish authority responsible for compiling and maintaining records * Repart ...

, is upgradable in-orbit. The robot's modular design additionally allows for expanded capabilities in the future.

Future contributions

Astrobee's modular design allows guest scientists to conduct diverse experiments to help develop technology for future space missions. The system is expected to play a crucial role in NASA's lunar exploration plans and other deep space missions, potentially serving as caretakers for spacecraft like the

Lunar Gateway The Lunar Gateway, or simply Gateway, is a planned space station which is to be assembled in orbit around the Moon. The Gateway is intended to serve as a communication hub, science laboratory, and habitation module for astronauts as part ...

during crew absences.

Use In Education

Zero Robotics

Zero Robotics is an annual international programming competition conducted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), in partnership with NASA and other organizations. Student teams program robotic platforms to solve a specific challenge involving navigation and control in microgravity environments aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Initially, the competition used the

(Synchronized Position Hold Engage and Reorient Experimental Satellites) robotic platforms—free-flying robots used inside the ISS for research on satellite formation flying and control algorithms. Although referred to as "satellites," SPHERES were not orbiting the Earth independently but operated exclusively within the microgravity environment of the ISS. In recent years, the competition transitioned to using

Astrobee Astrobee is the designation of series of American sounding rockets with one to three stages. Designed by Aerojet, this family of solid-propellant rockets was conceived as a lower-cost replacement of the liquid-propellant Aerobee. Versions Ast ...

robots, a newer generation of free-flying robotic assistants developed by NASA for autonomous operation on the ISS. (This change began around 2022, following the retirement of SPHERES in 2019). The Astrobee system provides enhanced capabilities including vision-based navigation and more advanced computing power. The competition is held in two tiers: the middle school tournament and the high school tournament. Initial rounds take place in simulation, and the finalists' programs are uploaded to the robotic platforms aboard the ISS and executed in real time. The final event is broadcast live to audiences in the United States, Europe, and Australia.

References

External links

NASA Astrobee Page

NASA Ames Research Center
{{NASA Space robots NASA vehicles