Catapult Open

Autonomy In The Space Sector21st January,

University of Liverpool in London

Daniel Jones, SRC Programme Manager

UK Space Agency

Introduction to the

Space Robotics Research Cluster (SRC)

Catapult Open

Outline

⚫ Overview of PERASPERA goals and the SRC roadmap

⚫ Horizon2020 Status

⚫ Evolution of the SRC in Horizon Europe

Catapult Open

Overview of PERASPERA goals and the SRC roadmap

Catapult Open

A Strategic Research Cluster is a coordinated effort of individual research and development

grants that aim at producing a significant demonstration of a specific technology.

The SRC roadmap describes a programme to implement a set of long-lasting

technologies that not only will serve the initial purpose of the SRC, i.e. demonstration of

space robotics technology, but also enable future missions requiring space robotics.

SRC Space Robotics Technology

Catapult Open

What is the PERASPERA PSA?

“PER ASPERA (ad ASTRA)” = “Through hardships to the stars”

ITALIAN

SPACE

AGENCY

CENTRE

NATIONAL

D'ÉTUDES SPATIALES

GERMAN

AEROSPACE

CENTRE

EUROPEAN

SPACE

AGENCY

UK

SPACE

AGENCY

SPANISH

CENTRE

FOR THE

DEVELOPMENT OF

INDUSTRIAL

TECHNOLOGY

Coordinator: ESA

Participants:ASICNESCDTIDLRPOLSAUKSA

POLSA

Catapult Open

2016 call

18 M€

2018 call

18 M€ Calls

FP9

PlanReact

Sense

OG1

OG2

OG3

OG4

OG5

OG6

Produces the software base on which all other software OGs will run

Produces the generic “thinking and acting” core of a robot

Produces the generic perception core of a robot

Produces the generic suite of perception means

Produces the a suite hardware interfaces by which a robot can interact with man-made environment

Provides the physical test environments in which the above OGs can be installed and exercised

OG1 OG2 OG3 OG4 OG5 OG6

2014 call

PE

RA

SP

ER

A

RO

AD

MA

P

H2020 Horizon Europe

2020Call

9 M€

New Technologies/ Applications

OG

OG

OG

OG

OG

OG

OG

OG

Orbital Demonstrator

PlanetaryDemonstrator

Catapult Open

Horizon2020 Status

Catapult Open

Call 2016: Building Blocks

Catapult Open

Catapult Open

OG7: European Robotic Orbital Services (EROSS)

Main objectives

• Explore market possibilities of orbital services in a collaborative satellite

• Demonstrate the capabilities to perform rendezvous with the target, capture & servicing operations

• Benefits: reduce launch mass & cost, extend life of satellites, postpone CapEx, keep the environment clean.

• Operations demonstrated: Rendezvous, refueling, ORU replacement & De-orbiting

Catapult Open

OG8: Prototype for an Ultra-Large Structure Assembly Robot (PULSAR )Main objectives

• Develop and demo tech to enable precise robotic on-orbit assembly of large objects (ie > JWST & single-deployable units)

• Investigate tech required to assemble platforms on-orbit for commercial and institutional scenarios; develop marketable products

• Develop Robot Assembly System (RAS) mobility (relative or absolute) to enable the construction of indefinitely-sized structures (see right)

• Increase efficiencies, reduce delays (ie by launching sats without non-critical components that can be assembled latterly)

Project Lead: Magellium (Fr)

Robotic manipulator on a rail

Catapult Open

OG9: Modular Spacecraft Assembly and Reconfiguration (MOSAR)

Main objectives

• Elaborate and refine the concept of modular spacecraft

• Identify and recommend standards and designs for its realisation, progressive deployment and economical exploitation

• Develop and demonstrate techniques needed to robotically upgrade and reconfigure systems

• Development of a ground demonstrator of on-orbit modular satellite reconfiguration relyingon robotic capabilities and simulation

Catapult Open

OG10: Autonomous DEcision making in very long traverses(ADE)

Main objectives• Develop autonomous long range navigation capabilities (> 1 km traverses

per sol)

• Integrate state of the art opportunistic science “oriented” capabilities including the detection of «interesting» features and also the approachand the sample collection

• Develop decision making capabilities in presence of conflicting objectiveswith time and energy constraints

• Develop an adequate validation approach for the enhanced autonomy

• Demonstrate this level of autonomy in some analog environmentautonomously

targeted

feature

manually

targeted

feature

autonomously

Targeted feature

SOL START

SOL END

Catapult Open

OG11: Planetary RObots Deployed for Assembly and Construction Tasks (PRO-ACT)

Website: https://www.h2020-pro-act.eu/What: OG11 (PRO-ACT) will show how multiple roboticagents can work/cooperate together to achieve a commonmission goal.

How: The project will demonstrate the effectiveness of:

✓ cooperative goal decomposition

✓ collaborative mission planning and manipulation

✓ assembly of a supporting infrastructure.

Why: The project aims at:

✓ paving the way to future challenging explorationmissions

✓ foster technology transfers to/from terrestrialapplications

Catapult Open

2016 call

2017 callOrbital

Track

PlanetaryTrack

Short term Long TermMid term

Orbital Servicing

Assembly of large Space Structures

Reconfiguration ofmodular Satellites

Long Term Autonomy

Access To difficult sites

ISRU/Construction

The SRC Goals

Catapult Open

Call 2020: Orbital Track

Orbital Mission Study 2 proposals to be selectedgrant budget 3 M€ for each

Rationale:The succesful demonstration of SRC developments (BBs andapplications) in the operative enviroment represents the crucial stepfor their validation, paving the way to future space applications andbusiness cases, such as:

➢ short-term operative scenarios (i.e. on-orbitinspection, life extension, de-orbiting)

➢ mid-to-long-term horizons (i.e. APMexchange, reconfiguration, on-orbitassembly/manufacturing)

SPACE-27-TEC-2020

Catapult Open

Call 2020: Orbital Track

Objective:A study (up to and including Phase B1) of anIn-Orbit Demonstrator (IOD) that will validateprevious developments and connect these twodifferent business cases in a single demonstrator.

The proposed demonstrator shall represent a risk-taking, disruptive approach to enable newcommercial opportunities in space.

Orbital Mission Study 2 proposals to be selectedgrant budget 3 M€ for each

SPACE-27-TEC-2020

Catapult Open

Call 2020: Planetary TrackPlanetary Robotics Exploration Demonstrator

Rationale:

The next step in exploration will target areas of planets that are hard to reach,such as gullies, cliffs, craters and lava tubes.

This requires improved capability in the rover’s understanding of itsenvironment (not simply 2D with obstacles, but fully 3D), and capabilities inmotion planning and execution which have not previously been demonstrated.

1 proposal to be selectedgrant budget 3 M€

SPACE-27-TEC-2020

Catapult Open

Call 2020: Planetary Track

Objective:

This sub-topic aims at integrating the state-of-the-art

technology in:

• artificial intelligence

• sensing & modelling complex environments

• diverse means of locomotion

• cooperative planning & decision making

The demonstrator shall showcase the current capabilities

in the exploration of difficult areas, and allow the

identification of gaps in technology and knowledge.

SPACE-27-TEC-2020

Planetary Robotics Exploration Demonstrator 1 proposal to be selectedgrant budget 3 M€

Catapult Open

Evolution Of the SRC in Horizon Europe

Catapult Open

2016 call

18 M€

2018 call

18 M€ Calls

FP9

PlanReact

Sense

OG1

OG2

OG3

OG4

OG5

OG6

Produces the software base on which all other software OGs will run

Produces the generic “thinking and acting” core of a robot

Produces the generic perception core of a robot

Produces the generic suite of perception means

Produces the a suite hardware interfaces by which a robot can interact with man-made environment

Provides the physical test environments in which the above OGs can be installed and exercised

OG1 OG2 OG3 OG4 OG5 OG6

2014 call

PE

RA

SP

ER

A

RO

AD

MA

P

H2020 Horizon Europe

2020Call

9 M€

New Technologies/ Applications

OG

OG

OG

OG

OG

OG

OG

OG

Orbital Demonstrator

PlanetaryDemonstrator

Catapult Open

SRC2.0 Objectives

Strengthen the European

position in the space sector

by applying

• breakthrough disruptive

technologies

• artificial intelligence

• digitalisation

• new industrial processes

and innovative approaches

for design production, AIT,

logistics and operations

• Demonstrate capabilties & business enablers

• represent a risk-taking, disruptive approach to enable new commercial opportunities in space (satisfying short-term and mid-to-long-term)

• improve exploration capabilities by innovative technologies & concepts for all disciplines of robots

De

mo

nstr

ation

Str

ate

gic

al R

oad

ma

pp

ing

• Enable a paradigm shift together with stakeholders towardsa sustainable, highly-automated, flexible and economicalviable space infrastructure, enhancing manifold commercial opportunities in space and on earth

• Generate new market opportunities

• Enable business in Space

• Strengthen European industry and institutions

• Setting technology standards and define principles & guidelines for commercialization of space

• Protection of the space ecosystem

Catapult Open

SRC

Space Robotics Technologies

Program Support Activity (PSA)

Steering Committee

Executive Layer

Strategical Technology Development

Roadmap

a. Technical settings & standards

b. Recommendation for a further

administrative-regulative

framework

EC

Dedicated

topics

Technical solutions

Calls

ESA

&

European

Community

Catapult Open

SRC

Space Robotics Technologies

Program Support Activity (PSA)

Steering Committee

Executive Layer

Strategical Technology

Development

Executive Layer

European Operations

Framework (EOF)

Roadmap

a. Technical settings & standards

b. Recommendation for a further

administrative-regulative

framework

EC

Dedicated

topics

Technical solutions

Calls

ESA &

European

Community

& Terrestrial

Robotics

ExchangeCONFERS

Catapult Open

Long-term objective: Highly-automated,

flexible, sustainableand economical

viable spaceinfrastructure

Adaptive/intelligent spacecraft

Mission-specific, non-flexible spacecraft

“Sys

tem

Inte

llige

nce

”

Standardization

AI

Robotics

Automation

Modularization

Digitalisation

Building Set/App Store

Paradigm

• Introduces new commercial

possibilities ”build your

business”

• Reduction of mission costs while

keeping product/system diversity

• Increasing flexibility

• Independent development

(platform/application)

• Rapid development, Rapid

production and Rapid AIT

• Simplified introduction of

innovations

• Digitalisation of building set

supports flexibility at customer

level

Mission of SRC2.0: Enabling industrialization and business in Space

„Develop building blocks independently from applications“

Catapult Open

Automated, fast-to-market, flexible spaceinfrastructure based on modular, adaptable

design of spacecraft

Short term Mid term Long term

• Life extension

• Inspection

• Orbit change & debris removal

+ Hosted payload/ IOD-V services

+ Exchange of components

+ Debris mitigation

+ Robotised deployment & assembly

+ Manufacturing in Space

+ Re-configuration

+ In-orbit Recycling

+ Logistics/assembly platforms

+ …..

Classic monolithic systemsHybrid systems adaptive/intelligent systems

Expected evolution of space infrastructure

Non-automated, non-flexible spaceinfrastructure based on monolithic, individual design of spacecraft

building blocks/set methodology, industrial processes and tools

AIBig data, enhance system autonomy

Catapult Open

Fully autonomous robot,flexible robotic agent, crew of robots,

Human-Robot cooperation

Short term Mid term Long term

+ Rover autonomyextension

+ Rover mobilityenhancement

+ Improved data fusioncapabilities

+ Long range autonomy

+ Access to difficult sites

+ Opportunistic science

+ Cooperative exploration

+ ISRU

+ Cooperative buildingassembly

+ Human base construction

+ Crews of robotic agents

Expected evolution of planetary robotics

limited autonomy rover, single-agent mission, limited operating range Terrestrial Robotics:

Agriculture, Construction, Health, Mining, Rescue, Maritime, Nuclear

AIDeep learning, Big Data

Catapult Open

Short term Mid term Long term

+ Manufacturing in Space

+ Re-configuration

+ In-orbit Recycling

+ Logistics/assembly platforms

+ …..

SRCs position regarding the evolution of the space infrastructure

Horizon Europe

SRC2.0 – Intelligent Space Systems

• Life extension

• Inspection

• Orbit change & debris removal

+ Hosted payload/ IOD-V services

+ Exchange of components

+ Debris mitigation

+ Robotised deployment & assembly

2020 2022 2024 2026 2028 2030 2032 2034

Horizon 2020 SRC

Space Robotics Technologies

Catapult Open

EOF Objectives

• Establish a European position as well as develop and publish

consensus-derived European guidelines & principles for

commercialisation of Space in the context of orbital

operations in the future space ecosystem

• Derive recommendations to EU and national regulation &

licensing authorities for space activities for an „open method

of coordination“

• Develop and publish technical and operations standards for

orbital operations in coordination with relevant

standardization bodies (e.g. ISO, ECSS)

• Harmonization with other relevant initiatives (e.g. CONFERS)

1st EOF WorkshopDLR Cologne, 29-30 JanRegistration still open

Joint EOF/CONFERS WorkshopBrussels, 24-25 MarchRegistration open soon

Catapult Open

Identifying synergies in Space & Terrestrial Sectors

OrbitalTrack

PlanetaryTrack

Common Track

Spin-In/-Out

Coordination Actions

Building BlocksIdea challengesCompetitions

Space / terrestrial robotics workshop at ERF2020, Malaga, 3rd March

Catapult Open

For further information please visit:

www.h2020-peraspera.eu

Contact:

Daniel Jones, UKSA – daniel.jones@ukspaceagency.gov.uk

Thank you for your attention!