In September of 2024, AROBS Polska, in cooperation with AROBS Engineering from Romania – both companies’ part of the AROBS Group – began the “Close Proximity Operations Control Unit Development and Qualification” (CRIMSON) project.
The European Space Agency (ESA) funds this activity as part of its Core Activities for Clean Space under the COSMIC initiative within the Agency’s Space Safety Program, Period 2.
The development addresses a specific need that has been identified for future Active Debris Removal (ADR) and In-Orbit Servicing (IOS) missions for a qualified control unit capable of interfacing with several sensors and imagers and with sufficient processing power and memory capacity to perform a variety of critical high-data rate functions, including image processing, relative navigation, and robotics control, as well as supporting functions such as image compression.
This activity aims to develop a generic, flexible control unit for close proximity operations in LEO. The controller is foreseen as the core unit providing the necessary monitoring and control functions during the critical close proximity operations phase, including rendezvous and capture. This generic unit will support a variety of use cases and architectures without the need for nonrecurrent engineering and/or delta qualification.
AROBS Polska and AROBS Engineering took up the challenge of developing a generic solution that will fit into future LEO missions, providing a modular, redundant, scalable Control Unit. The major challenge is acknowledging and foreseeing spacecraft integrators’ needs in the design. Before closing the low-level requirements for software, hardware and programmable logic, the partners will meet several European integrators to present the preliminary architecture of the device and gather valuable feedback.
AROBS Group has, via its engineering office in Romania, a 12+ years of experience building on-board application and platform software for various space payloads and systems. In this project, the team will leverage their expertise on image processing and image-based navigation, by implementing and benchmarking a demo set of image processing algorithms that will acquire and process real-time images from emulated WAC (Wide Angle Camera)/NAC (Narrow Angle Camera) sources. The algorithms will compose mathematical results and will provide input to a demo-level GNC (guidance, navigation and control) software module.
ADR and IOS missions require high onboard autonomy and intelligence to perform critical close proximity operations, which require complex processing functions, such as relative navigation and image processing, and robotic capture system control. Until now, these functions have been performed by dedicated control units, specifically designed for each mission and requiring a great deal of nonrecurrent engineering and dedicated qualification effort. This is due to the differences in the mission avionics architectures and the variety of sensors that are used in each mission.
Such dedicated developments come with high costs and increased risks that must be managed and mitigated by each mission. By developing CRIMSON as a Generic unit, the recurring costs for future missions will be significantly reduced.
Voicu Oprean, CEO of AROBS Group, said, “I am proud that our Romanian and Polish Aerospace Engineering teams have been granted the opportunity to participate in the CRIMSON project, funded by the European Space Agency (ESA). This project aligns perfectly with our vision at AROBS Group—pioneering advancements that contribute to a cleaner and safer space environment. I look forward to seeing our teams innovate and excel in this endeavor.“
Michał Szwajewski, CEO of AROBS Polska, said, “The project is a consequence of our long-term strategy in developing highly reliable and innovative solutions. Within the strategy vision we are taking part in projects which support sustainable space business development and clean space is one of these elements. The CRIMSON project will allow us to support missions aiming at active removal of space debris and satellite in-orbit servicing. Thanks to great cooperation within AROBS Group, we can build self-standing products and assure interoperability along different technologies.”
Cosmin Stanciu, Business Group Manager, AROBS Engineering, said, “The project represents a significant step forward in our capabilities within the aerospace sector, as this is our first HW&SW solution for multi-sensor and image based autonomous navigation capabilities for the new satellites families. Our focus is on creating a product that meets the evolving needs of the space industry while ensuring high performance and reliability. As we progress, our expertise in embedded software development and aerospace technology will lead us to success in this groundbreaking project.”