Automation and Robotics Laboratories

The Orbital Robotics Laboratory (ORL) is the European Space Agency’s engineering facility specialising in robotic solutions for in-orbit operations and sampling in low-gravity environments.

The ORL provides tools that support the development and validation of docking systems, robotic grasping and crawling, proximity manoeuvring and navigation solutions.

It also enables human training and research for in-space operations, allowing operators to experience reaction dynamics and free-floating motion in a two-dimensional, frictionless environment. 

The ORL and the Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) test facilities together form the Orbital Robotics and GNC Laboratory (ORGL), to foster collaboration between GNC and robotics.

All the ORL facilities can be remotely operated through a dedicated Application Programming Interface (API), enabling data synchronisation between systems.

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ESA's Planetary Robotics Laboratory is an engineering research laboratory that specialises in the challenges that robotic probes face in the exploration of the surface of Moon and Mars.

The Mars-analogue yard is a 9 m by 9 m ‘sandbox’ terrain filled with different sizes of sand, gravel and rock. Here, small to mid-size rovers can be tested to demonstrate locomotion and navigation capabilities on a planetary surface.

The lab developed and maintains multiple rover testbeds to investigate rover locomotion, perception and autonomy, together with operational aspects. Additionally, the lab features an industrial robotic arm with six degrees of freedom and a payload capacity of 130 kg as well as state-of-the-art measurement equipment for motion capture and 3D scanning.

This laboratory is developing robotic technologies for advanced human-machine interaction. The focus is on real-time teleoperation of complex robotic systems and force feedback controls. The activities in the lab are creating and maintaining an industrial technology base for conducting space-based operations where robotic elements are remotely operated.

The laboratory regularly works with external partners and is experience in payload development for the ISS and conducting affiliated on-board experiments and operations . Its team is equipped for the rapid development of hardware and software systems, responding on a rapid turnaround basis to customer needs including the design and supply of specialised items to industry for specific projects or in the field testing, including spaceflight. Collaboration with non-space partners is also feasible, such as the offshore or nuclear industries.

The Lab possesses ISO 9001 certification for research and development, As so much of the Lab’s specialised equipment is at the forefront of technology, it has been designed, and often created, in house.

The ESA HRI laboratory has spaceflight proven competence in telerobotics, particularly with the use of haptic feedback and a history of research and development in robot exoskeletons for space use.

The facility addresses the challenges posed by mechanical systems interacting with planetary soils, especially in adverse temperature conditions. 

Any equipment designed to operate in contact with regolith, requires early testing to confirm that the assumptions taken in the design phases hold against the difficulty to model regolith properties. In general, any assemblies destined for the lunar surface require rigorous testing on Earth to ensure the required reliability. 

The main feature of the RIF is a Dusty Thermal Vacuum chamber (DTVAC) which allows bulk regolith interaction testing at near lunar temperatures.

Application areas include:

• Wheel-soil interaction for mobility systems (i.e., rovers)
• Regolith sampling, drilling, excavation, and conveying (i.e., scientific sampling and ISRU support)
• Regolith beneficiation (i.e., size-separation or mineral enrichment)
• Dust and temperature effects on robotic systems, both mechanical (i.e., motors, drive mechanisms, etc.) as well as sensor systems (i.e., cameras, lidars, force-torque sensors, etc.)   
• Sealing technologies for robotic joints
• Mechanism development for the lunar surface (i.e., deployment or pointing mechanisms)

Facility 1

Dusty Thermal Vacuum Chamber (DTVAC)

A thermal vacuum chamber which can be used for tests with regolith simulants. A LN-2 based thermal control system provides near-lunar temperatures in an individually controlled shroud and base plate. Within the chamber, a regolith testbed which can be filled with different simulants is available. 

Technical paramters:

• Shroud dimensions: 0.85 m diameter x 1 m height
• Regolith testbed: 0.5 x 0.5 x 0.2 m with different simulants
• Vacuum levels: 10-5 mbar (clean); 10-4 to 10-5 mbar (dusty)
• Temperature: -150 C to + 125 C (individually controlled shroud and base plate)