China performs precision laser cutting in orbit for the first time — South China Morning Post
Chinese scientists have performed precision laser cutting in orbit using a device mounted on a robotic arm outside the Tiangong space station. Using the system, they made millimeter-scale cuts in a fragment of large-scale equipment, the South China Morning Post reports.
Remote control
According to the Chinese newspaper Science and Technology Daily, the laser maintenance device was controlled remotely from a distance of hundreds of kilometers. Precision laser cutting involves focusing a beam of light to cut or melt material with very high accuracy, and carrying out such operations in orbit is difficult and risky.
The system was jointly developed by Huazhong University of Science and Technology and the Shanghai Institute of Space Power-Sources. It took the developers one year from initial design to a flight-ready model.
Professor Huang Yu, head of the university's research group, said that regular maintenance and high-precision repairs are important for the long-term operation of space stations. According to him, the team had to solve the challenges of operating equipment in the extreme conditions of space, millimeter-level positioning, and cutting with micrometer accuracy.
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System for repairs in orbit
The device uses multi-axis positioning mechanisms and an advanced machine vision system. The School of Mechanical Science and Engineering at Huazhong University noted that the multi-level vision system can guide, identify, and position the unit, automatically carrying out high-precision laser cutting and collecting material waste.
The university said that automated repairs on the Tiangong station should help extend its operational life and lay the foundation for an in-orbit maintenance system. Laser technologies in space are also attracting attention because of their potential dual use: such systems could potentially be used to damage, disable, or destroy other spacecraft.
NASA is also working on technologies for servicing and manufacturing in Earth orbit and for operations near the Moon, including laser welding. An abstract by the Marshall Space Flight Center states that laser systems can perform joining, cleaning, cutting, and repairs, enabling the construction of large space structures.
