Abstract:
The docking channel between the manned spacecraft and the space station’s docking mechanism is a critical component affecting the assembly’s sealing. To rapidly confirm the sealing integrity of the docking channel before opening the hatch door, without the need for additional leak detection equipment, a fast on-orbit evaluation method was proposed. This method leveraged the principle of rapid leak detection, utilizing on-orbit data to establish a success envelope for docking channel sealing. Based on this success envelope, the sealing performance of the docking channel was assessed. The effectiveness of the sealing was validated using in-orbit pressure monitoring data from a spacecraft. The results demonstrate that the on-orbit assessment process for docking channel sealing can be reduced from 24 hours to just 3 hours, significantly decreasing the waiting hours before the hatch door can be opened. The proposed study may facilitate the rapid deployment of uploads.