Cross-Disciplinary Action for the Advancement of In-Space Servicing and Manufacturing (ISAM)

Abstract

In-space servicing, assembly, and manufacturing (ISAM) represents a fundamental shift in how space systems are designed, deployed, operated, sustained, and ultimately retired. ISAM’s success depends on cross-disciplinary integration rather than disciplinary optimization — progress emerges not from isolated expertise, but from disciplines that actively strengthen one another. This article highlights several ISAM-relevant domains, both traditional and emerging, and discusses that a multi-disciplinary framework spanning research, education, policy, and system design is essential to accelerate ISAM and shape the future space paradigm.

Keywords

In-space servicing and manufacturing, Cross-disciplinary, Orbital robotics, Space policy

Author Biography

Dr. Christopher “Chrispy” Petersen

Dr. Christopher “Chrispy” Petersen is an Assistant Professor at the University of Florida in the Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Department as of Fall 2022.  He leads the Spacecraft Technology And Research (STAR) Laboratory, which is focused on 5 pillars of research; 1) Exploring & exploiting spacecraft dynamics 2) Advanced guidance, navigation, control, and autonomy (GNCA), 3) Real-time, computationally aware optimization for spacecraft, 4) Ensuring cyber safety in spacecraft algorithms and  5) Immersive human-satellite interfaces.  While he enjoys everything space, his group’s research focuses primarily in the domains of rendezvous, proximity operations, and docking (RPOD), eXtra GEOstationary (XGEO, which is above Geostationary orbit, to the Moon, and beyond), and space cyber security.  Before that, he was at the Space Vehicles Directorate of the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL/RV) located at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico. He received his B.S. from Syracuse University in Aerospace Engineering in 2012, and his M.S. and Ph.D. from University of Michigan in 2016 in Spacecraft Dynamics & Control.   While at AFRL he worked on 10+ satellite experiments, developing, deploying, and executing GNCA algorithms for ground and on-orbit use.  As a highlight, Dr. Petersen was the PI for advanced autonomous guidance algorithms used by the Mycroft flight experiment which has been recognized as “…the AF’s biggest game changer” for space warfighters.  He also served as Deputy Program Manager of the Autonomous Demonstrations and Orbital eXperiments (ADOX) Portfolio, which is a series of satellite demonstrations focused on autonomy technologies to enable satellite inspection, XGEO space domain awareness and logistics in GEO including advanced propulsion and refueling.  For his accomplishments, in 2021 he was awarded the AFRL Early Career Award.