Facility for Microgravity Research and Submicroradian Stabilization using sRLV Testing

The 77S Vibration Isolation Platform technology from Controlled Dynamics Inc. provides a mounting interface to research experiments that is isolated from the vibrations and disturbances of the host vehicle and other experiments during the parabolic coast phase of sub-orbital flights. The SpaceShip2 flight campaigns successfully demonstrated experiment isolation from crew motion and other excitations that induced thousands of micro-g’s of disturbance at the base of the locker. Platform environments of better than of 165 micro-g’s (1σ, 0.1Hz to 200Hz) were demonstrated during parabolic coast, matching the platform environments demonstrated by the same technology flown on the International Space Station (ISS). Untended operation on battery power allowed the Isolation Platform to operate autonomously throughout the flight profile. Measured results indicate the platform can be further tuned to provide even better isolation for future flights. 

The 77S Isolation Platform technology is being utilized by NASA for sub-orbital, orbital, and deep-space applications. 

Sub-orbital: The 77S Isolation Platform technology is now proven and available for flights on New Shepard, SpaceLoft, and the SpaceShipTwo sub-orbital vehicles. 

Orbital: Under a CASIS grant agreement, the 77S Isolation Platform technology was successfully transitioned for use on the ISS. The Programmable Isolation Mount Payload operated for 130 days during Increment 51/52 on ISS. The experiment demonstrated on-orbit operation, remote configuration from the ground, programmable excitations, and quiescent operations with a broadband acceleration environment of better than 40micro-g’s (1σ) from 0.01Hz to 200Hz. The Programmable Isolation Mount is now available to isolate g-sensitive research payloads from the milli-g ambient acceleration environment on ISS. 

Deep Space: Under SBIR Phase I/II/II-X/III contracts with NASA JPL, the 77S Isolation Platform technology was successfully transitioned to provide an isolation mount for Deep-Space Optical Communications systems. For deep space applications at long operational ranges, high performance stabilization of the space terminal data link is required. CDI’s isolation mount meets this need by providing a stabilized platform with pointing stability of better than 0.5 µrad 1σ cumulative sum from 0.1Hz to 500Hz. CDI is building a technology demonstration unit that will fly on the 16-Psyche mission scheduled for launch in 2022.

Flight Opportunities has fostered our isolation technology from its beginning. In collaboration with the Game-Changing Development Program, they sponsored the prototype development. They are now providing the suborbital flights that mature the technology and demonstrate its capabilities in a space-relevant free-fall environment. From this foundation we have spun-off a NASA SBIR developing an isolation platform for deep space optical communications. We are further extending the technology through a CASIS grant to provide a controlled dynamic acceleration environment on the International Space Station. From suborbital to orbital to deep-space, Flight Opportunities provided the basis to advance and validate our isolation technology.