Space Systems
Satellite Turnover Dolly
A dual-axis ground-support system for XL spacecraft
Muon Space × Engineering Solutions at Berkeley · 2025 · 121 words · 1 min read
What
Project scope
A clean-room-compatible turnover dolly that safely rotates an offset 500 kg satellite while controlling backlash and remaining locked through power loss.
How
Technical approach
SolidWorks · FEA · GD&T · Beam analysis · Gearbox design
Why
Outcome
The dolly gave the team a controlled way to handle and rotate a high-value spacecraft while protecting people, hardware, and clean-room operations.
Key evidence
Process 01
Gearbox and truss design
As lead engineer for the 90-degree gearbox and truss frame, I developed a torque-heavy actuation system with minimized backlash and stable positioning through the full rotation. A worm-gear architecture, brake, bearings, and structural frame were packaged for clean-room operation and loss-of-power safety.
Gearbox and drive architecture for the 90-degree rotation axis.
Process 02
Load analysis and design checks
I selected gears and bearings, completed torque and load calculations, and modeled the system in SolidWorks. FEA, tip-over checks, beam bending, shear, angle-of-twist, and deflection calculations were used to close the design and document safety margins.
Load, moment, and deflection validation for the supporting structure.
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