On-board autonomy, EURECA experience and requirements for future space missions

The paper describes, after a basic definition of on-board autonomy, the on-board autonomous mission control capabilities used during the EURECA mission for nominal operations and fault management and related experiences. It also covers autonomy enhancements required for future highly productive missions. These are functionalities in relation to on-board mission planning, use of intelligent sub-system elements, ''off-line'' test capabilities and adaptive fault management. EURECA, an unmanned retrievable multi-disciplinary science laboratory has successfully flown an 11-month mission in a 500 km, 28 deg. inclination orbit in the period August 1992 to June 1993. It was launched and brought back to earth by Space Shuttle flights STS46 and STS57 respectively. The complex spacecraft was operated by ESOC, in continuous productive mode, with less than 6% ground on-line contact, in a highly on-board autonomous mode. Its mission products encompassed all types of continuously produced scientific data, processed materials and biological samples, and a significant number of technological demonstrations.