Summary
A new space era is coming. Numerous miniaturized probes will soon pervade the solar system for commercial and exploration needs. Constellations made of thousands of spacecraft will soon revolutionize space-based services. In the next future, minor bodies will be the final destination of diverse space missions, since they can give answers to the origin of life and provide resources for the sustainable development of the humanity. However, the state-of-the-art is to control space probes from ground. The need for large teams and specific infrastructures yields extremely expensive operations, that do not scale for small probes.
The CASTOR project (Challenging Autonomous Spacecraft through Trajectory Optimization with Robustness) will address the spacecraft operation problem by fostering autonomous guidance and control for future small satellites in the vicinity of minor bodies. In order to reach its aim, the project envisages the definition of an efficient method for robust guidance and control in close proximity and its deployment on appropriate spacecraft-compatible hardware. A concurrent methodology will be exploited to implement the high-performance high-efficiency hardware-software set. Validation in a relevant laboratory environment will be performed exploiting the EXTREMA Simulation Hub, developed within the ERC EXTREMA project at Politecnico di Milano, and its associated facility RAFFAELLO, able to simulate the neighbourhood of an asteroid.
CASTOR foresees the involvement of two top-level space agencies, NASA and ESA, and of one of the most important universities in the space research, Politecnico di Milano, that will surely help the project to reach its objectives and maximize its future impact.
The outcomes from this project will have a significant impact on the future of space exploration and exploitation, increasing dramatically the potential scientific return and opening the space and its market to new operators, such as small enterprises and universities.
The CASTOR project (Challenging Autonomous Spacecraft through Trajectory Optimization with Robustness) will address the spacecraft operation problem by fostering autonomous guidance and control for future small satellites in the vicinity of minor bodies. In order to reach its aim, the project envisages the definition of an efficient method for robust guidance and control in close proximity and its deployment on appropriate spacecraft-compatible hardware. A concurrent methodology will be exploited to implement the high-performance high-efficiency hardware-software set. Validation in a relevant laboratory environment will be performed exploiting the EXTREMA Simulation Hub, developed within the ERC EXTREMA project at Politecnico di Milano, and its associated facility RAFFAELLO, able to simulate the neighbourhood of an asteroid.
CASTOR foresees the involvement of two top-level space agencies, NASA and ESA, and of one of the most important universities in the space research, Politecnico di Milano, that will surely help the project to reach its objectives and maximize its future impact.
The outcomes from this project will have a significant impact on the future of space exploration and exploitation, increasing dramatically the potential scientific return and opening the space and its market to new operators, such as small enterprises and universities.
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More information & hyperlinks
| Web resources: | https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101103826 |
| Start date: | 01-11-2023 |
| End date: | 28-02-2026 |
| Total budget - Public funding: | - 205 524,00 Euro |
Cordis data
Original description
A new space era is coming. Numerous miniaturized probes will soon pervade the solar system for commercial and exploration needs. Constellations made of thousands of spacecraft will soon revolutionize space-based services. In the next future, minor bodies will be the final destination of diverse space missions, since they can give answers to the origin of life and provide resources for the sustainable development of the humanity. However, the state-of-the-art is to control space probes from ground. The need for large teams and specific infrastructures yields extremely expensive operations, that do not scale for small probes.The CASTOR project (Challenging Autonomous Spacecraft through Trajectory Optimization with Robustness) will address the spacecraft operation problem by fostering autonomous guidance and control for future small satellites in the vicinity of minor bodies. In order to reach its aim, the project envisages the definition of an efficient method for robust guidance and control in close proximity and its deployment on appropriate spacecraft-compatible hardware. A concurrent methodology will be exploited to implement the high-performance high-efficiency hardware-software set. Validation in a relevant laboratory environment will be performed exploiting the EXTREMA Simulation Hub, developed within the ERC EXTREMA project at Politecnico di Milano, and its associated facility RAFFAELLO, able to simulate the neighbourhood of an asteroid.
CASTOR foresees the involvement of two top-level space agencies, NASA and ESA, and of one of the most important universities in the space research, Politecnico di Milano, that will surely help the project to reach its objectives and maximize its future impact.
The outcomes from this project will have a significant impact on the future of space exploration and exploitation, increasing dramatically the potential scientific return and opening the space and its market to new operators, such as small enterprises and universities.
Status
SIGNEDCall topic
HORIZON-MSCA-2022-PF-01-01Update Date
31-07-2023
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