Plan the European Roadmap and its Activities for SPace Exploitation of Robotics and Autonomy - eXtended

ended

The project “Per aspera (ad astra)” (Latin meaning “Through hardships to the stars”) has developed an integrated master plan (a.k.a. roadmap) of activities and associated activity descriptions, for a Strategic Research Cluster (SRC) in Space Robotics Technology. The roadmap has been implemented within the SRC through operational grants, which have been recommended by PERASPERA and issued by the European Commission. The overall objective of the SRC has been to deliver, within the 2023/2024 framework, key enabling technologies and demonstrate autonomous robotic systems at a significant scale as key elements for on-orbit satellite servicing and planetary exploration. The PERASPERA objectives have been measurable through the immediate deliverables of the project, these being: • the roadmap, i.e. the master plan to coordinate all the activities for the whole duration of the SRC (delivered during the first year and updated twice) • draft text for the calls to award operational grants This proposal covers the extension of the present PERASPERA as Programme Support Activity (PSA), for the implementation of the Space robotics technologies Strategic Research Clusters (SRCs) in Horizon 2020. This continuation is necessary as the activities in the SRC were planned to cover a period of 7 years while the PSA was only awarded a grant for the duration of 5 years. This proposal hence covers the residual duration of the SRC.