75 h In e na ional As onau ical Cong ess
14 - 18 Oc obe 2024 in Milan, I aly
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EUROPEAN ROBOTICS FOR SPACE ECOSYSTEM - EU-RISE
R. Caujolle1, G. A idon1, C. Figus1, M. Janko ic2, M. Manz2, I. Ah ns2, E. Allouis3, M. Diaz-Ca asco4, T.
Sec e in5, P. Papadeas6, T. Ge ma7, M. Mede 8, M. Schilling8, T. S ollenwe k9
1Ai bus De ence and Space SAS, F ance, 31 Rue des Cosmonau es, 31402 Toulouse Cedex 4, F ance
Co esponding au ho e-mail add ess: omain.caujolle@ai bus.com
2 Ai bus De ence and Space GmbH, Willy-Messe schmi -S aße 1, 82024 Tau ki chen, Ge many
3Ai bus De ence and Space LTD, Gunnels Wood Road, SG1 2AS S e enage, Uni ed Kingdom
4Sene Ae ospacial SA, A da. de Zugaza e 56, Las A enas 48930, Spain
5 The Explo a ion Company, 25 Rue Ma cel Issa ie , 33700 Mé ignac, Nou elle-Aqui aine, F ance
6Lib e Space Founda ion, I ous 21, GR 10442, A hens,G eece
7Magellium, Pa c echnologique du Canal, 1, ue A iane, 31520 Ramon ille Sain -Agne, F ance
8Deu sches Fo schungszen um ü Küns liche In elligenz (DFKI) GmbH - Robo ics Inno a ion Cen e , Robe Hooke-
S asse 1, 28359 B emen, Ge many
9Oikoplus GmbH, Schönb unne S . 59-61/8B, 1050 Wien, Aus ia
ABSTRACT
The eme ging space ecosys em is expec ed o g ow
signi ican ly, wi h mo e han 40,000 sa elli es and 100
luna missions en isioned o be launched o e he nex
decade. This ex ensi e in as uc u e will subsequen ly
d i e he demand o capabili ies o anspo , assemble
in-o bi and main ain his in as uc u e o u u e use. In
pa allel, he ad ancemen o space obo s has clea ed he
doo o new capabili ies o in-space main enance,
assembly, and manu ac u ing (ISAM). These capabili ies
p esen conside able business p ospec s while also
p omising o imp o e he e iciency and obus ness o he
o bi al in as uc u e. I will c ea e an en i ely new
ma ke and has he capaci y o es ablish a new space
ecology.
The Eu opean Robo ics o Space Ecosys em (EU-RISE)
p ojec aims o ad ance he obo ic and au onomous
echnologies equi ed o in-o bi manu ac u ing,
assembly and se icing (e.g. e uelling, payload
exchange) up o he Technology Readiness Le el (TRL)
5.
To achie e his, he p ojec has wo in e ela ed sub-
goals: he de ini ion o he u u e space ecosys em and
he de elopmen o an end- o-end, labo a o y
demons a o in eg a ing all he enabling
echnologies. This pape ocuses on de ailing he
app oach and esul s o he i s sub-goal wi h a i s
desc ip ion o he a chi ec u e o he en isaged
demons a o , including ha dwa e and so wa e aspec s.
1. INTRO ISMA
The ma ke o in-space manu ac u ing and assembly
(ISMA) and on-o bi se ices (OOS) is cu en ly aking
shape and could each se e al billion eu os by 2023-
2032. The upcoming space ecosys em is expec ed o
unde go signi ican g ow h, wi h o e 40,000 sa elli es
and 100 luna missions an icipa ed o be launched in he
nex en yea s. This ex ensi e in as uc u e will
subsequen ly d i e he demand o capabili ies o
anspo , assemble in-o bi and main ain his
in as uc u e o u u e use.
To add ess his ma ke app op ia ely, i is essen ial o
de elop in-o bi assembly and se icing capabili ies
combined wi h a logis ic a chi ec u e. Robo ic
echnologies is a key enable o his ma ke has i allow
o unlock manda o y mission capabili ies o se ices and
assembly in space.
2. PROJECT’S GOALS
EU-RISE is a 24-mon h esea ch & inno a ion ac ion
unded by he Eu opean Union. The p ojec d aws upon
he ma u a ion o space obo ics ha has pa ed he way
o new capabili ies o in-space se icing, assembly and
manu ac u ing (ISAM). These capabili ies o e
signi ican business oppo uni ies and p omise o
inc ease he e iciency and esilience o he o bi al
in as uc u e.
EU-RISE has wo objec i es: i s ly, o ca y ou a ma ke
analysis o space se ices, space assembly and
manu ac u ing and ela ed a eas and o de elop wo
e e ence scena ios ha will be analysed and used o
de ine an end- o-end app oach. Secondly, o use he end-
o-end concep o b ing he building blocks and ele an
obo ic elemen s o ma u i y and o es ablish an open-
sou ce s a egy o he u he ma u i y o hese building
blocks.
EU-RISE con ibu es o Eu ope’s posi ioning as a leade
in he global space indus y. The es ablishmen o a
Eu opean ISAM capaci y and de ining he u u e space
ecosys em will ha e a signi ican impac . By de eloping
and implemen ing hese new capabili ies, Eu ope can
main ain i s compe i i eness on he global s age, c ea e
new jobs, and d i e economic g ow h h ough inc eased
in es men in he space indus y. Fu he mo e, he
de elopmen o a sus ainable space ecosys em will ha e
75 h In e na ional As onau ical Cong ess
14 - 18 Oc obe 2024 in Milan, I aly
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a posi i e impac on he en i onmen , educing he
amoun o was e and pollu ion in space and con ibu ing
o a mo e sus ainable and cleane space en i onmen .
The EU-RISE conso ium is composed o 9 pa ne s om
6 coun ies. Ai bus De ence & Space GmbH is leading
he p ojec and he 7 o he pa ne s o he p ojec s by
alphabe ic o de a e Ai bus De ence & Space L d, Ai bus
De ence a Space SAS, DFKI GmbH, Lib e Space
Founda ion, Magellium SAS, Oikoplus GmbH, Sene
SA, The Explo a ion Company GmbH.
3. FUTURE SPACE ECOSYSTEM
ASSESSMENT AND DEFINITION
This i s wo ks eam ocuses on assessing u u e space
ecosys em ma ke s, including logis ics, on-o bi se ices,
manu ac u ing, and sus ainabili y. I also in ol es
de ining obo ic se ices and a chi ec u e o u u e space
sys ems, in es iga ing anspo a ion and logis ics,
de eloping modula ecei ing se ices and explo ing
open-sou ce so wa e de elopmen o space quali ies
applica ions.
Ma ke and economic analysis we e used o iden i y new
ma ke oppo uni ies o a u u e space ecosys em. The
equi ed se ices and associa ed capabili ies we e hen
de ined, leading o he de ini ion o ma ke and mission
equi emen s. A sys em concep de ini ion was hen
ca ied ou , leading o a ealis ic concep o a labo a o y
demons a o o a speci ic e e ence use case o he
p e iously iden i ied in-space manu ac u ing and
assembly mission.
This s udy showed ha o add ess he di e en ma ke s
and missions iden i ied, a modula app oach in e ms o
obo ic capabili ies, anspo a ion and in e ace seems
manda o y. To his end, he main unc ions equi ed o
add ess u u e on-o bi se ice missions ha e been
iden i ied and a anged in a modula concep . This
concep is based on building blocks ha a e a anged
di e en ly depending on he mission o be add essed,
esul ing in a ade-o be ween e sa ili y and speci ic
needs.
Based on his analysis, i ’s clea ha modula designs o
u u e space-elemen s a e essen ial whe he in he
de ini ion o se ice ehicles o in he u u e clien
in as uc u e. Indeed, a modula unc ion
implemen a ion is key o co e a wide ange o ISAM
missions.
On obo ic sys em side, he lis o all he building blocks
needed o add ess he ma ke has been es ablished and
de i ed in o physical building blocks co e ing mul iple
unc ions. A o al o se en physical building blocks a e
needed in o de o co e all he unc ions iden i ied. The
ac ha physical building blocks need o add ess
di e en unc ions and adop a modula app oach will
b ing some cons ain s on he design de ini ion and he
physical building blocks iden i ied so a a e: obo ic
manipula o s, ision sys em, obo ic con ol uni , obo ic
ools, wo kbenches, pa dispense , s anda d in e aces.
Figu e 1 : Reusable by e-en y concep
These di e en building blocks has been designed wi h a
modula app oach allowing o in oduce hem in di e en
concep s. Indeed, wo di e en concep s and associa ed
mission scena ios ha e been selec ed o co e mid/sho
ime ame ma ke e olu ion and long- e m ma ke
e olu ions. In he sho /mid- e m scena io also called
“ e-usable by e-en y”, a se icing ehicle composed o
a capsule wi h e-en y capabili ies and a se icing
module is used o pe o m di e en kinds o ISAM
missions.
Figu e 2 : In o bi modula concep
A e each mission o g oup o missions, he elemen s
ha can be eused o u u e missions a e s o ed in he e-
en y capsule o be eco e ed on g ound. The design o
he se icing module may di e depending on he
mission o pe o m bu a modula implemen a ion o he
unc ions will allow i o co e he di e en missions.
In he long- e m scena io also called “In-o bi modula ”,
a modula se icing ehicle composed o di e en
building blocks is used o pe o m di e en kinds o
OOS/OOA missions.
75 h In e na ional As onau ical Cong ess
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The assembly o modules o ming he se ice may di e
om one mission o he o he . The assembly o modules
is econ igu able in space so he se ice can pe o m
di e en kinds o missions.
This app oach is compa ible wi h mos o he OOS/OOA
missions o eseen and he physical elemen s ha ha e
been iden i ied need o be u he de eloped o add ess
his u u e space ecosys em. Indeed, his app oach
showed ha he applica ion is no he p edominan aspec
as he modula i y is add essed a building block le el o
co e di e en missions. These wo- e e ence scena io
a e used o cons uc he end- o-end demons a ion
scena io p esen ed in he nex chap e .
4. END TO END DEMONSTRATOR
The second wo ks eam aims o de ine an end- o-end
demons a o ha includes he capabili ies needed o he
u u e comme cial and ins i u ional space ma ke . The
sys em is buil o all ele an componen s om special
de elopmen o he space ma ke in o de o achie e a
high deg ee o sys em in eg a ion and ma u i y.
The selec ed applica ions o his demons a ion anging
om econ igu a ion/payload-exchange o he obo ic
assembly o an an enna e lec o . The execu ion o he
es shall be comple ed in a ealis ic se ing wi h espec
o ligh ning condi ions, and he si ua ional awa eness o
he ope a o .
75 h In e na ional As onau ical Cong ess
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To achie e his goal he displayed es bench is co e ed in
a da kening cloak o elimina e e e y ex e nal ligh
sou ces. The only isible ligh exis ing will be gene a ed
by an a ay o special LED o p oduce pa allel ligh
mimicking he sun ligh in o bi o gene a e shadows and
high con as simila o he space illumina ion condi ions.
Specialized came as wi h il e s a e used as obse a ion
sys em o a sa e y ope a o o ensu e he ope a ions a e
sa e.
Figu e 5: In o bi modula concep
This ope a o will be di e en om he ope a o
commanding he sys em and is jus esponsible o
obse a ion and ensu e he sys em is sa e o engage wi h
ac i a ion o he eme gency s op. The es bench is
equipped wi h a h ee-axis g a i y o loading sys em ha
is used o educe he weigh o he payloads in o de o
allow obo ic ope a ions wi h he ligh manipula o on
ea h. The ope a o o he obo ic sys em will see jus he
eleme y da a which will be used wi hin he digi al win
o isualize he sys em s a us and he ee came a s eams
om he wo ool came as and he scene came a.
5. ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES – HARDWARE
The EU-RISE p ojec will make use o exis ing ha dwa e
building blocks o compose a ealis ic obo ic sys em
mimicking a po en ial ligh sys em capable o
add essing a wide ange o ele an se ices such as
e uelling, cap u ing, assembly and se icing. In addi ion
o adap ed componen s wi h a high ma u i y he
demons a ion will elay on mock-ups o non-co e
elemen s. The ollowing lis is p o iding an o e iew o
he elemen s used o he EU-RISE p ojec :
• High TRL Elemen s:
o VISPA Manipula o
o Mul i-Pu pose Tool (MPT)
o Tool Socke s
o SIROM C S anda d In e connec
o SIROM G Re uelling In e connec (TBC)
o RCU
• Mock Ups:
o Tool Magazine
o An enna Pa Dispense
o Re uelling Payload
o An enna Wo kbench o Assembly
The obo ic ool and ool socke s will be adap ed o he
EU-RISE speci ic needs du ing his ac i i y. The SIROM
in e aces and he VISPA Manipula o will be p oduced
o he EU-RISE p ojec .
Figu e 6: Ha dwa e Building-Blocks
6. ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES – SOFTWARE
Figu e 7: So wa e Building-Blocks
7. CONCLUSIONS
EU-RISE aims o es ablish a Eu opean capaci y o on-
o bi se ices and in-space manu ac u ing o p omo e
indus ialisa ion and business in space, while suppo ing
low-cos missions and a sus ainable, ci cula economy in
space. I will de elop new echnologies and concep s o
space sys ems and se ices, enabling in-o bi
demons a ion/ alida ion and ma u e key echnologies
con ibu ing o Eu ope's independence in space
echnology de elopmen .
O e all, he p ojec ’s in luence on Eu ope is a ied and
ex ensi e, encompassing economic g ow h, job c ea ion,
echnical inno a ion, and en i onmen al s ewa dship. By
de eloping a Eu opean ISAM capaci y and de ining he
u u e space en i onmen , Eu ope can posi ion i sel as a
global space indus y leade while also pa ing he oad
o a mo e sus ainable and p ospe ous u u e.
75 h In e na ional As onau ical Cong ess
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8. AKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This wo k has been pe o med wi hin he p ojec EU-
RISE, which is unded om he Eu opean Commission
wi hin he ame o he Ho izon esea ch and inno a ion
p og amme unde g an ag eemen No 101134934.
9. REFERENCES
[1] Manz, M., Ba sch, S., Caujolle, R., Vogel, T.,
Shiel on, M., Allouis, E., Go nig, S., Colmene o,
F.J., To albo, S., Janko ic, M. and B inkmann, W.,
2022, June. Robo ic a chi ec u e and ope a ional
concep o in-space assembly and se icing
missions. In 16 h Symposium on Ad anced Space
Technologies in Robo ics and Au oma ion (ASTRA
2022), ESTEC Noo dwijk, The Ne he lands (pp. 1-
2).
[2] Vinals, J., Gala, J. and Gue a, G., 2020. S anda d
in e ace o obo ic manipula ion (si om): S c
h2020 og5 inal esul s- u u e upg ades and
applica ions. In In e na ional Symposium on
A i icial In elligence, Robo ics and Au oma ion in
Space (i-SAIRAS).
[3] Gue a, G., Viñals, J., So o, I., Díaz-Ca asco, M.
and Gala, J., 2022. De elopmen o a obo ic Fluid
T ans e in e ace based on RIDER connec o .
In P oc. Symp. on Ad anced Space Technologies in
Robo ics and Au oma ion-ASTRA.
[4] Es able, S., Ah ns, I., Regele, R., Janko ic, M.,
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Colmene o, F.J., Ampe, A. and O doubadian, B.,
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space manu ac u ing, assembly and e uelling
echnologies. In Jou nal o Physics: Con e ence
Se ies (Vol. 2526, No. 1, p. 012121). IOP
Publishing.
[5] Allouis, E., Shil on, M., Ga land, M., Paganini, D.,
Me ingolo, C. and Hacke , C., THE VISPA
ROBOTIC MANIPULATOR-A VERSATILE IN-
SPACE AND PLANETARY ARM TO SUPPORT
A NEW SPACE ECOSYSTEM.
[6] Manz, M., Dö me , M., Go nig, S., Regele, R.,
Haskamp, C. and Ah ns, I., MODULAR ROBOTIC
TOOLS FOR SPACE APPLICATIONS, THE
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[7] R. Caujolle, T. Ma chi e, S. Gi aul , G. A idon, C.
Figus, A. Mo aghi, T. Ge ma, C. Baze que, I.
Ma oge , 2024, Oc obe , IN-ORBIT
DEMONSTRATION OF ROBOTIC
OPERATIONS ON A REUSABLE SERVICE
MODULE – DEMARLUS
10. ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS
AOCS: A i ude and O bi Con ol Sys em
EU-RISE: Eu opean Robo ics o Space Ecosys em
ISMA: In-Space Manu ac u ing and Assembly
LEO: Low Ea h O bi
OOS: On-O bi Se ices
