Project description
Improved, autonomous vision systems enable satellite critical task completion
On-orbit servicing (OOS) is essential for sustainable space operations, enabling tasks such as satellite refuelling and debris removal. However, current systems rely on ground operators, who cause delays in the operation and limit precision especially in critical guidance, navigation and control tasks. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the TANGO project will combine event-based and red-green-blue vision systems, allowing satellites to sense their environment quickly and accurately. This should help enable autonomous target tracking and vision-based guidance for complex tasks in low Earth orbit. It will therefore develop vision-based navigation and guidance algorithms, implement them on space-grade hardware in simulated low Earth orbit conditions and demonstrate proof-of-concept missions for autonomous satellite servicing, refuelling and debris removal.
Objective
On-Orbit Servicing (OOS) is flourishing. According to the EU future space ecosystem, autonomous servicing satellites are needed to revolutionize the use of near-Earth orbits, and to ensure space sustainability. Indeed, autonomy is a key asset to reduce operational cost from ground operators, but also to enable more complex and essential in-orbit tasks (satellite refueling, debris removal). The human-in-the-loop approach induces inevitable delays in the satellite operational loop, especially on the Guidance, Navigation and Control (GNC) subsystem, making it unable to complete critical tasks with guaranteed precision and safety. Nowadays, satellites are equipped with onboard vision sensors to compute and execute autonomously their operational task, yet, these tasks are still relatively simple. The project TANGO (Task-based visual Autonomous Navigation and Guidance in uncooperative close-proximity Operations) aims to couple event-based and RGB (Red Green Blue)-based vision to allow satellites sensing rapidly and accurately their environment, to select and track a target satellite, and to operate vision-based guidance for solving challenging, if not currently impossible, operational tasks in low Earth Orbit (LEO), free of human intervention.
The main objectives of TANGO are first to develop a fast relative navigation algorithm to enable closed-loop vision-based guidance, and to develop a stable and robust visual servoing guidance law to complete on-orbit services. Then, these algorithms will be implemented on space graded hardware to proceed with a complete and credible dynamic validation using cutting-edge optical and robotic facilities to mimic LEO environment. The final target is to provide a proof-of-concepts of on-orbit servicing missions, satellite refueling and satellite removal, both covering a wide type of in-space services, and both being at the heart of current research and industrial questions to enable a sustainable use of the low Earth orbit.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
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CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- engineering and technology mechanical engineering vehicle engineering aerospace engineering satellite technology
- engineering and technology electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering electronic engineering sensors
- natural sciences biological sciences ecology ecosystems
- social sciences law
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Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
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Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
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Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
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(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2024-PF-01
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20133 Milano
Italy
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