International data and analytics company GlobalData has forecast that the space robotics sector is set for “explosive growth”. This prediction was developed using the company’s innovation intelligence platform, called Technology Foresights. The term space robotics covers the design and manufacture of robots intended to operate in the extremely hostile environment of outer space.

“Innovation in space technologies has been dominated by large, publicly funded space agencies for a long time. Nasa [the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration], for example, has been experimenting with robotic astronauts, also known as [robotic] cosmonauts, since 2010, developing and testing several robotic exoskeletons,” pointed out GlobalData Innovation Products practice head Sourabh Nyalkalkar. “However, the rise of IoT [the Internet of Things] and robotics technology, combined with the push from venture capital and specialised large private organisations, is bringing innovative technologies like space robotics to the forefront.”

Over the past three years, more than 40 companies have entered the space robotics sector. Between them, they have attracted more than $200-million in venture capital investments. Innovative space robotics applications that these enterprises were currently developing include in-orbit servicing of satellites, spacecraft refuelling, detailed in-orbit spacecraft inspection, and space debris collection. Every one of these technologies will significantly advance the sustainability and reach of space missions.

“The rise of new entrants in space robotics is thrilling news for the industry,” he enthused. “Companies like China-based Aerospace New Long March EV Technology, Gitai, and Astrobotics are driving the focus towards more advanced applications of space robotics. Reflecting the growing confidence in this technology, Japanese startup [Astroscale], which specialises in clearing space debris, made a stellar debut on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, with its share prices soaring by 51% in the first week of June 2024. These early signs indicate a transformational shift led by robotics in space technology, holding the promise to turn sci-fi [science fiction] into reality in the near future.”

The sector was still dominated by long-established (in space sector terms) players. The leader was Canada’s MDA, with 46 published patents and experience from more than 450 space missions. In second place was US company Maxar, with 16 published patents, followed by Europe-based Airbus, with 14. (Nasa was in sixth place, with eight published patents.)

And the major space agencies, notably Nasa and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) continued to be major drivers of advanced space robotics technologies. Thus, JAXA successfully landed its SORA-Q robotic rover on the Moon in January, as part of its Moon Sniper mission. And Nasa is developing a project to use autonomous robots to build shelters and solar power arrays on the surface of the Moon and Mars.