NASA's Push for In-Space Robotic Assembly
PickNik Robotics and Motiv Space Systems have announced a partnership to support NASA's Fly Foundational Robotics mission, part of the broader In-space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing initiative known as ISAM. The mission aims to demonstrate on-orbit robotic manipulation capabilities in low Earth orbit, advancing technologies needed for future space construction, satellite servicing, and modular assembly operations. Motiv will develop the robotic hardware while PickNik provides the motion planning and control software that will guide the arm through its orbital tasks.
MoveIt Pro Powers the Control Stack
PickNik's contribution centers on its MoveIt Pro platform, a commercially available software system for behavior sequencing and modular runtime architecture. The platform will handle mission planning, simulation, and execution of robotic arm motion for the FFR mission. A ground-based operator terminal enables mission planning, testing, and validation before commands are sent to the orbital system. Digital twin analysis and simulation capabilities allow engineers to rehearse complex manipulation sequences in a virtual environment before the robot executes them in space. The entire software stack runs on Space ROS, a specialized version of the Robot Operating System designed to meet spaceflight reliability standards.
