Astrobotic Readies for Historic Lunar Mission with Ansys Technology

Astrobotic Readies for Historic Lunar Mission with Ansys Technology
by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 04, 2024
In a significant advancement for lunar exploration, Astrobotic is set to embark on one of the first Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) deliveries to the Moon, utilizing Ansys' (NASDAQ: ANSS) sophisticated simulation solutions. The Peregrine lunar lander, scheduled for a January launch and February landing, will transport 20 payloads from seven countries, aiding NASA's Artemis program in preparing for future human missions on the lunar surface.

The journey to the Moon, fraught with extreme temperatures, unpredictable space weather, and high radiation levels, presents a formidable challenge. Peregrine, to be successful, must withstand these harsh cislunar conditions while remaining light enough for fuel efficiency. Astrobotic, therefore, turned to Ansys' virtual design and mission planning tools to ensure their spacecraft's durability and performance.

Working in collaboration with Ansys Elite Channel Partner, SimuTech Group, Astrobotic leveraged a suite of Ansys solutions to optimize Peregrine's design and performance:

+ Ansys' topology optimization capabilities aided in designing a lander that is up to 20% lighter while maintaining structural integrity.

+ Ansys Mechanical was employed to evaluate Peregrine's resilience under the extreme structural loads of launch and transit, including considerations for shock, vibration, and fluid transients during descent.

+ The design maturity for stress reduction and mass optimization, crucial for assembly, was achieved using Ansys Discovery.

+ Astrobotic used Ansys Thermal Desktop for analyzing diverse thermal environments and trajectory options in the complex cislunar orbit, aiding in optimal launch and landing planning.

Communications integrity is vital as Peregrine ventures further from Earth. Astrobotic implemented Ansys HFSS for designing the antenna radiation patterns, ensuring robust signal strength for communications and orbit trajectory tracking.

Sharad Bhaskaran, mission director at Astrobotic, highlighted the crucial role of Ansys solutions, stating, "Ansys solutions helped us design and validate an innovative lander within a strict mission timeline that a manual approach would not have met." Bhaskaran emphasized the rigorous testing to ensure Peregrine's durability, crediting expert engineering guidance from SimuTech and Space Exploration Engineering for their confidence in the lander's readiness.

Supporting Astrobotic's mission planning, Space Exploration Engineering (SEE) leveraged Ansys' DME capabilities. SEE experts, as part of the Astrobotic Flight Dynamics team, used Ansys Systems Tool Kit (STK) and Orbit Determination Tool Kit (ODTK) for mission trajectory planning and tracking. SEE's contribution, particularly through the AstroFDS flight dynamics system, provided crucial automation and configuration control, enhancing mission capabilities.

John Carrico Jr., owner and chief technology officer of Astrogator and technical advisor at SEE, underscored the complexity of lunar missions, noting, "Our collaboration with Ansys helps customers like Astrobotic account for cislunar environments through predictively accurate, reliable simulations and real-time guidance from experts with a track record of success."

Shane Emswiler, senior vice president of products at Ansys, lauded the Peregrine lander as a pathfinder for the CLPS missions. He stressed the indispensability of Ansys' simulation solutions in ensuring predictable performance in the hostile lunar environment, a task unachievable with Earth-based physical testing alone. Ansys' history of providing reliable simulation solutions across various sectors, including civil, defense, and commercial space programs, has been a cornerstone in managing uncertainties in space missions.