Imagine if every brand of phone had a different charging port; it would be a nightmare to find the right cable. Right now, satellites are like that, making repairs in space incredibly hard. This project creates a 'USB port for space' so different robotic parts and satellites can plug into each other regardless of who built them.
Satellite maintenance is currently expensive and slow because there are no standard connectors. This lack of interoperability means a repair robot designed by one company cannot easily connect to a satellite built by another.
A public Space USB specification interface and a compliance matrix. These define requirements for mechanical loads, power levels, and data standards to ensure different space connectors can work together.
If you are a satellite manufacturer dealing with high costs of bespoke docking systems — this project developed a universal serial interface specification that allows your hardware to be compatible with various orbital robotic tools.
If you are an on-orbit servicing provider dealing with the inability to repair satellites from different vendors — this project developed a set of common recommendations and a compliance matrix that ensures interoperability between different spacecraft.
If you are a robotics developer dealing with rigid, non-standard mechanical connections — this project developed a specification focusing on docking symmetry and misalignment tolerances to make robotic assembly more flexible.
Based on available project data, specific pricing or implementation costs are not provided; the project focused on creating a public version of the specification.
The project has established a specification and a compliance matrix with 6 partners, but it is currently at the stage of proposing and demonstrating a standard interface rather than mass production.
Based on available project data, the specification is available as a public version after the project's conclusion.
The project leverages existing solutions like SIROM, iSSI, and Hotdock, creating a benchmarking table and an applicability matrix to ensure interoperability between different interfaces.
The project period runs from 2024-01-01 to 2025-12-31, focusing on the definition and demonstration of the standard.
The consortium is heavily industry-driven with an 83% industry ratio, consisting of 6 partners across 4 countries (BE, DE, ES, FR). Led by Thales Alenia Space, the group includes 5 industrial entities and 2 SMEs, indicating a strong focus on commercial viability and practical application rather than purely academic research.
Contact Thales Alenia Space France SAS regarding the public Space USB specification.
Contact us to find partners for implementing the Space USB standard in your next satellite mission.
