The Plan European Roadmap and Activities for Space Exploitation of Robotics and Autonomy – “PER ASPERA (ad ASTRA)” (Latin meaning “Through hardships to the stars”) is funded by a grant by the European Union through the Horizon 2020 Programme.

The European Commission has funded, as part of the Horizon 2020 Space Work Programme 2014, a Programme Support Activity (PSA) for the implementation of a Strategic Research Cluster (SRC) on Space Robotics Technologies.

Space Robotics has been identified by European actors as a key technology for improving the competitiveness of the European space sector. The European Commission has set up the “Space Robotics Technologies” Strategic Research Cluster (SRC) in Horizon 2020, with the goal of enabling major advances in strategic key-points of Space Robotics Technologies, in order to improve the European competitiveness.

The main objective of the SRC for Space Robotic Technologies is the creation, within the 2020-2030 timeframe, of the necessary tools to ensure and consolidate the maturity of the Space Robotic technologies for orbital maintenance missions and planetary exploration, and contribute to guarantee the leadership of European capabilities in Space Robotics at world level within the 2020-2030 timeframe. These activities will be developed in coherence with the existing and planned developments at national, commercial and ESA level.

The Horizon 2020 Space Strategic Research Clusters on Space Robotics (PERASPERA) is a system of grants connected among them, aiming at a common long-term objective. The Commission considers that such an objective is best achieved through a multi-annual structured approach.

The SRC system of grants considers two types of grants:

1. Programme Support Activity (PSA)
2. The Operational Grants (OG).