Future Space Ecosystem and Enabling Technologies

The areas of R&I, which need to be addressed to tackle the above expected outcomes are:

1) R&I on generic building blocks technologies for electric propulsion systems considering paradigms relevant for industrialisation (e.g. miniaturisation, scalability, flexibility, cost reduction). The activities should aim at anticipating and adapting to future market and application needs in a future space ecosystem (e.g. on-orbit logistic services, maintenance, assembly, de-orbiting, debris removal).

2) Development and maturation of technologies and concepts with a clear application, pathway to applications and business sustainability in mind. Applications domains can be for example:

• Innovative approaches for operations, e.g. multi-orbit constellations, upgrade/re-configuration of existing space assets for multi-mission purposes
• Next generation of services, e.g. satellite life extension, maintenance/upgrading, assembly, recycling, logistic or warehouse services
• Enabling technologies that contribute to a sustainable, commercially viable space infrastructure, space debris mitigation and on-orbit services
• Serial production and manufacturing concepts of reliable small satellites or other space infrastructure elements, enhancing flexibility, allowing mass-customization, and fostering the use of commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) products/components
• Software for mission control, cloud-based data rooms, improving ground-based reception equipment (both ground stations and transmit/receive antennas for mobile applications).
• New hardware and software approaches to shorten development, test and integration of sub-systems/equipment/components or to allow re-use/recycle platform functionalities in space by making use of e.g. novel design paradigms such as standardised, functional satellite modules.

A proposal should address only one area, which must be clearly identified.

Projects are expected to promote cooperation between different actors (industry, SMEs, Start-ups, research institutions and academia) and consider opportunities to quickly turn technological innovation into commercial space usage.

Proposals should explore relevant and promising solutions derived in Horizon 2020 activities, especially project results from the Strategic Research Clusters Space Robotics Technologies[[ www.h2020-peraspera.eu]] and Electric Propulsion[[ www.epic-src.eu]].

In this topic the integration of the gender dimension (sex and gender analysis) in research and innovation content is not a mandatory requirement.