Objective
The “space revolution” is expected to become the biggest industry in history. During the last decades, space exploration has contributed to the development of various technologies (e.g. GPS, weather predictions, solar cells, reliable power grid, Earth observation services) that fedback into the economy and improved our lives. In 2020, the global space economy was valued at about $ 446.9 B. With the advent of deep-space CubeSats, nanosatellites that disrupted this industry, space agencies are planning to launch tens of CubeSat in deep space per single launch.
The number of deep-space probes is bound to thrive, yet their growth is unsustainable with current practice. Human-in-the-loop operations are particularly relevant for flight-related procedures in cruise phase: the spacecraft position is determined from ground, with a consistent involvement of resources and assets. It is acknowledged that a sustainable deep-space exploration requires enabling self-driving spacecraft.
The GUIDO project forges an autonomous guidance board to enable the self-driving capability of spacecraft in the solar system. The project stems from the ERC-funded project EXTREMA (ERC-CoG-2019). GUIDO aims to elevate the convex-optimization-based guidance algorithms conceived within EXTREMA to a proof-of-concept board at TRL 4.
Our autonomous guidance board, GUIDOboard, is a disruptive innovation that will change the modus operandi of deep-space satellite operation. GUIDO will revolutionize the way spacecraft travel in space, by cutting the cost of ground control of the whole cruise phase and unlocking the new space mission concept.
The project follows a suitably devised pathway to cover technical validation activities and assessment of exploitation opportunities. GUIDO has raised the interest of leading sectoral players and space agencies, as witnessed by the letters of interest attached.
Fields of science
- natural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesatmospheric sciencesmeteorology
- natural sciencesphysical sciencesastronomyspace exploration
- engineering and technologymechanical engineeringvehicle engineeringaerospace engineeringastronautical engineeringspacecraft
- engineering and technologymechanical engineeringvehicle engineeringaerospace engineeringsatellite technology
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectrical engineeringpower engineeringelectric power transmission
Keywords
Programme(s)
- HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-ERC-POC - HORIZON ERC Proof of Concept GrantsHost institution
20133 Milano
Italy