# Design and Testing of Torveastro: An Outer Space Service Robot
## 2 Problems and Requirements  
Outer space services for orbital stations can be divided into three categories: assembly, active servicing, and passive servicing. Assembly refers to the creation of structures or components; it entails the merging of minor modules and joints on otherwise monolithic or self-deploying constructions. The space station is intended to be a permanent research facility in orbit. Its primary objective is to conduct world-class science and research in a microgravity environment. The crew of the space station conducts science experiments that require their participation and monitors those that are directed from the ground. However, operating on the space station also necessitates extensive space walks to ensure the station's maintenance and health. The space environment continues to be extremely hostile to humans. It is essential to take preventative measures to safeguard the astronaut and the robot in the event of hazardous environmental conditions. Thus, for reasons of safety in space exploration, the astronaut assistant robot plays an increasingly vital role in supporting astronauts to execute their assigned tasks and can also perform some dangerous jobs in their place. In addition, several of these tasks are far more challenging in space than in a training context. One example is the international space station, which is one of humanity's greatest achievements (ISS). This required a significant technological advancement and, as a result, the activities to be performed in it are complicated, as they are conducted outside the Earth's atmosphere, in low Earth orbit, and under microgravity. Maintenance, repair, docking, and other tasks to be performed outside the ISS necessitate the support of service robots capable of transporting tools, spare parts, and other equipment required to complete a required task. Active servicing missions need an astronaut robot to make physical contact with at least one other body, and may include refueling, component repair, and component replacement. Passive servicing missions, on the other hand, do not require physical contact between the space robot and the target object. An astronaut robot that acts as a stiff body without manipulator movement could perform these tasks. Therefore, large robot mobility is vital, since it ensures work outside of a space station. The astronaut robot is able to move slowly while retaining consistent action outcomes and a strong stance. In addition, environmental factors limit the deployment of service robots in space orbiting stations. The space environment is characterized by microgravity operating on the robot, intense radiation from the sun or other radiation sources, and rapid and drastic temperature fluctuations. Even actuators and electronic equipment may malfunction due to these environmental restrictions. Microgravity, as described by [18] at \(1\times 10^{-6}\) g, can potentially produce electronical issues besides problems in controlled motion. It is well known that, during the operation of a spacecraft, a complex effect of space circumstances produces issues in automated systems, resulting in a decrease in their orbital service life and, in some cases, failure [19]. Several authors link equipment problems onboard to solar flares. According to [19], several onboard studies revealed that multiple electronic failures happened on days without solar flares or magnetic disturbances. Lastly, the experimental setup described in [19] demonstrated that structural difficulties can develop in any configuration and can cause logic unit switching capabilities to operate abnormally in microgravity. To maintain the reliability of electrical equipment for a range of spacecraft, it is vital to take into account the complicated effect of all space elements, including microgravity [19]. With the correct laboratory arrangements, planar motion testing or balloon-sustained motions can duplicate the conditions required to imitate microgravity on Earth during investigation and design.