Case Study: Astrobotic Technology achieves rapid, cost-saving design of lightweight, launch-ready spacecraft with ANSYS simulation tools

Engineering Simulation Provides a Virtual Environment for Designing Durable Spacecraft Components

Astrobotic Technology needed to design structural components for its Tranquility Trek spacecraft made from aluminum and carbon-fiber/aluminum honeycomb sandwich materials, and to predict anisotropic laminate behavior and sandwich failure under static acceleration and random launch vibrations. To do this cost-effectively across multiple configurations and reduce physical prototyping, Astrobotic used ANSYS tools, including ANSYS Mechanical, ANSYS DesignModeler and ANSYS Workbench.

ANSYS provided an integrated simulation workflow—CAD import, DesignModeler pre‑processing, ANSYS Meshing, APDL-based layered definitions in Workbench, and analyses for free vibration, static acceleration and random vibration—to evaluate failure criteria and iterate designs quickly. ANSYS’ solution let Astrobotic refine a lightweight, launch-capable spacecraft, test different layups with minimal effort, cut costly prototypes and physical testing, and achieve measurable gains (including a reported 20% reduction in cycle time).

Astrobotic Technology

John Thornton

Chief Engineer