Inspection of the cis-lunar station using multi-purpose autonomous Cubesats

The close observation of orbiting objects with Cubesats can efficiently support a wide range of applications, such as the inspection of defunct satellites for preparing active debris removal missions, or the inspection of operative spacecraft (International Space Station, telecom satellites) for maintenance purposes. Future appli- cations can involve inspection of deep space objects, for example the cis-lunar human-tended station, that will constitute the Gateway for future exploration missions. From the ISS mission, it has been understood that an inhabited outpost in space needs heavy maintenance for keeping it in operations with the required capabilities and safety level over a long-duration mission. Inspection from outside the station is required for investigation on detected anomalies or for preventing failures, for structural measurements, and in general for monitoring the station configuration. Small space (semi)autonomous drones, such as CubeSats, can be deployed from transportation vehicles or from the station, and used in several phases of the mission, flying in the vicinity of the space habitat. The study presented in this paper investigates the feasibility of operating multi-purpose small inspectors in proximity of the future Lunar Orbiting Platform. The study focuses on the inspection/ surveillance mission, for which a concept of operations and architecture have been developed and analysed. In particular, the possibility to have 3D vision and multispectral payloads has been investigated, to enhance inspection capabilities with respect to current state-of-the-art technology.