The Spacecraft Servicing Capabilities Office of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center has organized a series of tests to show how a satellite can be refueled with robotics tools. The chief tool is Dextre, a multi-armed robot built in Canada and attached to the end of the Canadarm on the International Space Station. A five-day experiment showing how to remove the "gas cap" has made the news in Canada.
One thing to notice about these experiments: both the tools, and the simulated satellite, are firmly attached to the ISS. There are no dynamics in the problem, i.e., things aren't moving around relative to each other. That is a critical requirement for complex, dexterous manipulation.
In a real situation, where a space "gas truck" wanted to refuel a free-flying satellite, how would the dynamics be taken out of the problem? Most likely by joining the two together, using robot arms to make the connection rigid and firm. Fortunately, we've known how to do that since 2008.
A software glitch has led to a pause in the operations:
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