Objective(s):  1) goal-based (E4) commanding, 2) on-board planning and scheduling capabilities, 3) dynamic replanning, 4) adjustable levels of autonomy, 5) able to be used for any space robot, 6) ease to increase the TRL, 7) applicability in future terrestrial applications.

Background and justification:

In the recent years, there has been an increasing research into and experience with autonomy and automation of space missions, such as Earth observation, space station operations, planetary robotic exploration and deep space probes. The need of autonomy stems from the challenge of future robotic exploration missions, that combine high uncertainty of the environment in which robotic asserts will work, with lack of communications and complex and highly dependant operations.

Achievements and status:

the activity was tested on the RAT (Rover Autonomy Testbed) platform from ESA and it has yielded three main products:

• An architecture for on-board controllers of future space robotic systems;

• A prototype implementing the architecture based on the RAT platform; and

• A methodology for the development of autonomous robots

Benefits:

GOTCHA allows a mission to be specified by means of goals such as “do survey X”. Operators do not need to tell the robotic system how to do “survey X”. Instead of that, the controller of the robotic system decides how to do it. This is the foundation for goal-oriented operations.