Agency
03/12/2025
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Engineers are using a satellite link between two European Space Agency facilities to advance teleoperated robotics systems that could enable future lunar explorers to study the Moon from afar.
The connection was established between the European Centre for Space Applications and Telecommunications (ECSAT) in the UK and the European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) in the Netherlands. It enabled engineers at ECSAT to carry out tasks – such as collecting small rock samples – using a remote-controlled rover with a robotic arm located at ESTEC’s Human Robotic Interaction Lab.
Kicking off the collaboration
This demonstration kicked off a new ECSAT-ESTEC initiative that will support ESA’s research into teleoperated robotics systems for future space missions.
ESA’s team lead for human-robotic interactions, Thomas Krueger, who travelled from ESTEC to ECSAT to set up the test, explains: “As humans and robots will explore space together, it is vital to develop the technologies and know-how to ensure they can interact as seamlessly as possible.
“Our work is multidisciplinary by nature, so I am excited to begin collaborating with teams at ECSAT, which have impressive expertise in telecommunications, exploration, and geology.”
Connection established
ECSAT hosts ESA’s 5G/6G Hub, which advances the aims of the agency’s 5G/6G Strategic Programme Line by enabling collaborators to explore the huge potential of satellite-enabled connectivity. It is also home to ESA’s Spaceship ECSAT initiative, which offers student interns the opportunity to quickly develop prototype technologies to tackle exploration challenges.
Thomas, along with his colleagues Sant Brinkman and Rute Luz, worked with the Spaceship ECSAT and 5G/6G teams to configure a teleoperation console at ESA’s 5G/6G Hub. The set-up included a video link and haptic feedback device, both seamlessly connected over a OneWeb satellite internet connection to the robotic arm at ESTEC.
Both the satellite link and the haptic feedback system worked excellently, enabling operators to complete a series of tasks, including picking up and precisely relocating small rock samples and pieces of equipment.
New possibilities
Building on the success of the demonstration, Thomas and his team plan to expand the collaboration to include ESA’s Vulcan Sample Analogue Facility, which is home to a collection of simulant samples that mimic rocks and dust found on other planetary bodies. With its expertise in developing and characterising these simulants, Vulcan will bring invaluable support to the project.
The unique combination of expertise, capabilities and resources offered by the 5G/6G Hub, Spaceship ECSAT, and Vulcan is expected to empower new approaches and tools in the field of human-robotic interactions.
Romain Charles, ESA’s coordinator for Spaceship ECSAT and Vulcan, said: “At ESA, collaboration across multiple areas of expertise is a key tool for advancing innovation.
“With this concept in mind, we look forward to drawing on the strengths of Spaceship ECSAT, Vulcan, the 5G/6G Hub and the Human-Robotic Interactions Lab to develop technologies and processes to support future missions to the Moon and beyond.”
The team has plans to refine the new approaches developed as part of the project at ESA’s Luna Facility in Germany, which houses a state-of-the-art testbed that recreates the regolith and environmental conditions of the Moon. It also offers the capability to connect with the International Space Station, enabling astronauts to participate in tests from low-Earth orbit.
Spaceship ECSAT and ESA’s human-robotic interaction activities are part of ESA’s Exploration Preparation Research and Technology (ExPeRT) programme.
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