Space Robotics

Dear Colleagues,

Space robotics has evolved from a mere addendum to the space exploration programme to a fully-fledged strategic capability that leverages the entire programme. Examples of the traditional concerns of space robotics include on-orbit servicing using spacecraft-mounted manipulators, terramechanics and autonomous navigation for planetary rovers and robotic drilling mechanisms. More recently, autonomous science for rovers has emerged as a capability for rovers to complement navigational autonomy in rovers. Biomimetics also has a role to play in space robotics such as in automated camera control for example. Some traditional areas have evolved - on-orbit servicing capabilities are being applied to space debris mitigation with new approaches such as harpooning and netting. Recent interest in in-situ resource utilisation (ISRU) specifically requires extensive robotics capabilities ranging from asteroid and lunar mining, 3D printing (essentially Cartesian robotics) and even self-replicating machines to leverage local resources to reduce the costs of space exploration and for supporting lunar or Martian bases. Artificial intelligence techniques are percolating into the spacecraft for spacecraft control and scheduling and autonomous ground stations. Despite this, there has been reluctance to engage in soft computing techniques for space exploration – recent developments in such methods have extensive applicability to space exploration. This will require a culture change in space engineering to admit these new powerful techniques. This Special Issue will be exploring these and other aspects of space robotics as it becomes entrenched as a core part of mainstream space technology.  

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Robotics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• On-orbit servicing
• space manipulators
• manipulator control
• planetary rovers
• robotic science
• planetary drilling
• rover vision
• space biomimetics
• space debris
• in-situ resource utilisation
• planetary 3D printing
• self-replicating machines
• artificial intelligence
• hard computing
• soft computing