Space Vehicles Directorate

Every aspect of the spacecraft development process needs to be reassessed in order to achieve a six-day spacecraft architecture. Assembly, integration & testing could be drastically reduced by stocking component-ready modular panels for assembly, but the assembly of the structure itself needs to be sped from the typical process of securing panels with dozens of mixed-size fasteners and the associated verification, tooling, and documentation and must take into consideration the need to pass electrical and thermal connections across panels of the bus. A method for rapidly providing a stiff mechanical attachment across panels of a spacecraft bus while simultaneously providing electrical and thermal continuity would help to further realize the goals of ORS. In collaboration with the Air Force Research Laboratory/Space Vehicles Directorate, Honeybee Robotics Spacecraft Mechanisms Corporation has developed a fastening strategy for enabling rapid assembly of a spacecraft bus structure using our patented Quick Insertion Nut (QIN) technology. With this approach, a standard bolt can be rapidly inserted into the QIN and then about one turn is required to preload the connection, without significant support equipment or operator skill. These QINs are embedded in manifolds which reside at each edge inside the spacecraft bus (the manifold includes panel-to-panel electrical interconnects) that together comprise a skeleton for the spacecraft panels. When the panels are assemble