SRC OG 7-11
OG7- EROSS (European Robotic Orbital Support Services)
EROSS (European Robotic Orbital Support Services) objective is to demonstrate the European solutions for the Servicers and the Serviced LEO/GEO satellites, enabling a large range of efficient and safe orbital support services. The project will assess and demonstrate the capability of the on-orbit servicing spacecraft (servicer) to perform rendezvous, capturing, grasping, berthing and manipulating of a collaborative client satellite provisioned for servicing operations including refuelling and payload transfer/replacement.
EROSS embeds key European Technologies by leveraging on actuators, sensors, software frameworks and algorithms developed in previous European Projects. EROSS boosts the maturity of these key building blocks and increases their functionalities and performance in a coherent work programme targeting fast and practical deployment of the developed solutions in space. The consortium went into great details in the EROSS concept and the technical operational plan to manage perfectly the risks and complexity of development of such a large system.
Following EROSS, TAS plans to commercialize its Multi-Purpose Servicer the LEO&GEO servicing business, pulling with him the project’s technology providers. Besides, most partners will address other short-term space/non-space markets, such as Space Exploration & Science and factory automation (sensors, robots).
The project success relies on a highly skilled and experienced consortium involving all the leaders of previous SRC Operational Grants. EROSS involves 11 partners from 8 countries over 24 months and a budget of 3,9M€. As Operational Grant n°7, EROSS will be part of the Strategic Research Cluster (SRC) on Space Robotics.
Website:
List of partners and contributions:
| TASF | Coordinator, User requirements & System Engineering for all satellite missions, I3DS sensors suite (OG4), GNC architect, Platform Control Algorithms, Contribution by MDA for robotic design and QINETIQ space for Satellite Docking System based on the IBDM, |
| GMV | ESROCOS (OG1), ERGO (OG2), ASSIST refuelling interface device, orbital test facility support/provision all along the EROSS phases. |
| NTUA | Chaser Coordinated Control, Arm Compliance Control and Software Implementation for GNC Software Integration, Space Emulator facility (COMRADE) |
| PIAP Space | Contact sensors (tactile and F/T sensors – OG4), Grippers designs for satellite servicing (ADRexp, LAR Gripper), hardware integration (e.g. within OG4), and for EROSS, contact real time simulations (COMRADE). |
| SENER | Procurement of the SIROM interface for module replacement demonstration. |
| SINTEF | Responsible of EROSS software, I3DS development (OG4) and I3DS product maintainer, Development of GNC algorithms in close-proximity situation, experience on embedded processing strengthened during I3DS OG4 project, visual-based background to use for robotic arm visual servoing |
| SODERN | Demonstration of a vision-based smart rendezvous sensor (ARAMIS) having the ability to deliver 6 DoF relative pose from natural images of a target in the infrared and visible bands. |
| SpaceApps | Responsible for the customization and deployment of the OG3/InFuse framework, with a focus on robust state estimation and visual servoing. Responsible for compliance control mode of the manipulator. Support to SIROM interfaces acquisition (control / electronics).). |
| TASI | Provider of the Latching Locking Mechanisms and market analysis |
| TASUK | Assessment of the results of the avionics ICU hardware development and identify the evolution needs for the route to Space. Avionics responsible. |
OG8- PULSAR
The autonomous assembly of large structures in space is a key challenge in future missions that will necessitate structures too large to be self-deployed as a single piece. The James Webb Space Telescope has reached this limit and the next generation telescope expected by astronomers, like the High Definition Space Telescope, will therefore require new assembly technologies, in particular autonomous robots. The need for large structures in space goes beyond telescopes and concerns also solar arrays for power plants, light sails to reach outermost regions of the solar system or heat shields to land on Mars.
The PULSAR overall concept aims to build upon this heritage of missions and create a fully autonomous, on-orbit robotic assembly system. Its demonstration use-case is the high precision assembly, using a robotic arm, of a set of mirror tiles in order to build the very large primary mirror of a next-generation space telescope. In this case, the robotic assembly system is a key enabling factor for the mission, as the sheer size of the mirror would not have allowed for a traditional stow and deploy launch configuration.
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OG9-MOSAR (MOdular Spacecraft Assembly and Reconfiguration)
MOSAR: Modular and Re-Configurable Spacecraft
The Horizon 2020 EU-funded MOSAR will aim at developing a ground demonstrator for on-orbit modular and reconfigurable satellites. The project targets to integrate and demonstrate technologies required to enable a fundamental shift of paradigm in designing and deploying satellites in future space missions. That will include:
- A set of re-usable spacecraft modules as part of a global eco-system. Each individual module will be dedicated to a specific function as control, power, thermal management, sensors. Once assembled, they will allow the full functionality of the spacecraft
- A repositionable symmetric walking robotic manipulator allowing to capture, manipulate and position spacecraft modules, while being able to reposition itself on the spacecraft elements or directly on the modules
- Standards robotics interfaces, providing mechanical, data, power and thermal transfer for interconnection between the modules, spacecraft and walking manipulator
- A functional engineering simulation environment and design tool, offering assistance for modules design, system configuration and operation planning, with the support of multi-physics engine
As part of the EU Strategic Research Cluster in Space Robotics, MOSAR will build on and consolidate technological results of previous projects of PERASPERA and its operational grants (https://www.h2020-peraspera.eu/).
OG10-ADE
ADE, Autonomous Decision Making in Very Long Traverse, refers to the 10th Operational Grant (OG10) of the Compendium of SRC activities (for call 2-topic SPACE-12-TEC-2018) within the H2020-SPACE-2018-2020 call.
The challenge of ADE/OG10 is to demonstrate on a planetary analogue environment the system needed to realize with high reliability a planetary very long traverse capabilities (kilometers per sol) with a rover while: autonomously take decisions required to progress in nominal conditions and/or in presence of conflicting goals; guarantee consistent data detection while avoiding un-detection of interesting data along mission path; handling rover on-board resources both in nominal or under contingencies events; allow fast reaction while reduce mission risks and seize opportunities of data collection in a MSR scenario
ADE Web: https://www.h2020-ade.eu/
OG11-PRO-ACT
Short description of the project
PRO-ACT, aims to realize an implementation and demonstration of multi-robot collaborative planning and manipulation capabilities in a lunar construction context, relying on, extending and integrating the outcomes of PERASPERA ooperational grants (OGs). Towards this objective, the PRO-ACT project purposes to demonstrate a novel approach of deploying multiple robots, Robot Working Agents (RWA), towards achieving common goals by cooperative goal decomposition, collaborative mission planning and manipulation for transport and assembly of supporting infrastructure. The focus is on (1) enabling assembly of an ISRU plant on the moon as precursor to human settlement and (2) partial assembly of a mobile gantry (3) Re-use and integration of existing software and hardware robotics building blocks to realize functional RWAs.
The key robotic elements, namely the rover mobile rover IBIS, the six-legged walking robot Mantis and a mobile gantry are outlined according to the corresponding mission architecture. The ISRU plant is sized to be representative of a future lunar mission, with grasping points to assist robotic manipulation capabilities and considering the effects of reduced lunar gravity. Supporting research objective includes developing robust multi-robot cooperation capabilities allowing joint interventions (including navigation in close vicinity and joint manipulation actions) in mixed structured / unstructured environment. Making the capabilities available within a CREW (Cooperative Robotics for Enhanced Workforce) module, consisting of integrated components from multi-agent mission planners, sensor fusion for perception, mapping and localization, including cooperative SLAM.
Web: https://www.h2020-pro-act.eu/
List of partners and contributions:
| Partner | Country | Role |
| Space Applications Services | BE | Project Coordinator, Infuse adaptation, HOTDOCK adaptation, system design and integration, communications, mission control and simulation |
| DFKI | DE | Mantis HW adaptations, Simulation, mission control, mobility and manipulator control SW, Integration of CREW |
| PIAP | PL | Ibis HW adaptations, locomotion and manipulator control SW, Exploitation, Integration of CREW |
| GMV | ES | Design and support for ESROCOS functional layer for robots and ERGO adaptation for CREW |
| UCITY | UK | Cooperative SLAM, integration with CREW , Dissemination |
| LAAS-CNRS | FR | Cooperative manipulation – planning and control, integration with CREW |
| Thales Alenia Space | UK | Compact I3DS ICU adaptation, I3DS sensors, HW acceleration |
| AVS | ES | Modular mobile gantry, Control of 3D printing head, integration of CREW |
| La Palma Research Center | ES | Requirement analysis, analog site access and preparation, geological end user |