Space Robotics and Embodied Intelligence: Advancing Autonomous Exploration

Dear Colleagues,

The development of space robotics technology is rapidly advancing, with a wide range of applications involving manned spaceflight, on-orbit services, large space structure assembly in orbit, planetary scientific exploration, and space resource development. The structure of space robots has evolved from traditional rigid structures to flexible or soft body structures, showing a trend toward the integration of rigid and soft characteristics. This diversity in structure enables space robots to adapt to more complex space environments and mission requirements. These new forms of space robots face technical challenges in terms of mechanism configuration, joint actuation, end-effector operation, perception and cognition, locomotion, dynamics, and control, which require new theories and technological innovations to address. To improve the efficiency and safety of robots operating in harsh space environments, it is increasingly important to empower space robots with artificial intelligence. The combination of space robots with AI large models and embodied intelligence technologies can enhance their autonomy, environmental perception capabilities, and decision-making abilities. This Special Issue encourages researchers, engineers, and scholars to submit their latest research results in this field, covering new space robot designs or corresponding methodologies, the application of artificial intelligence in space robots, and research methods and experimental validation related to space robot operations, to jointly promote the advancement of space robotics technology.

Dr. Deshan Meng
Dr. Lei Yan
Dr. Linqi Ye
Guest Editors

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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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. Aerospace 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 2400 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.