A Polish company has built a robotic arm to inspect and repair satellites in orbit, helping to cut the risk of collisions with space junk.
The device, named TITAN, was designed by Warsaw-based firm PIAP Space and developed in a project by the European Space Agency.
It has already been tested in an environment simulating orbital conditions.
There are several thousand active and inactive objects orbiting the Earth, with the number growing every year, increasing the risk of collisions in space.
The development of automatic inspection and service technologies in orbit has become one of the priorities of the European Space Agency and the entire space sector, Science in Poland reported.
The robotic arm is designed to fix malfunctioning satellites, as opposed to the current approach, which involves deorbiting and replacing them with another expensive satellite.
TITAN can be installed on a service satellite, which will then be able to perform inspections, capture another satellite or replace its parts.
In addition, TITAN can be equipped with various tips, grippers and manipulators adapted to a specific mission.
“TITAN is the most advanced robotic manipulator developed in Poland and probably one of the most modern of its kind in Europe. We designed it to be not only precise but also universal,” said Paweł Paśko, head of the mechatronics section at PIAP Space.
“Thanks to its modular architecture, it can be scaled to various applications—both orbital and exploration. What's more, appropriate structural seals also allow it to be adapted to work in dusty environments—such as the regolith-covered surface of the Moon—which opens the way to its use in planetary exploration missions,” he added.
The prototype of the device will be showcased during the European Space Agency’s Space Security Conference in Warsaw from April 14 to 15.
It has already been tested in an environment simulating orbital conditions.
There are several thousand active and inactive objects orbiting the Earth, with the number growing every year, increasing the risk of collisions in space.
The development of automatic inspection and service technologies in orbit has become one of the priorities of the European Space Agency and the entire space sector, Science in Poland reported.
The robotic arm is designed to fix malfunctioning satellites, as opposed to the current approach, which involves deorbiting and replacing them with another expensive satellite.
TITAN can be installed on a service satellite, which will then be able to perform inspections, capture another satellite or replace its parts.
The arm has a range of up to 2 meters and is extremely precise. It has a positioning accuracy of 0.5 mm and an orientation accuracy of 0.1 degrees, according to Science in Poland.These two advanced systems – the TITAN robotic arm and the LARIS gripper – form a perfectly coordinated team, enabling complex missions such as servicing, space debris removal, docking, and satellite deorbiting. 🤖#TITAN #LARISGripper #SpaceTechnology #SpaceInnovation #PIAPSpace pic.twitter.com/JAdy1DuD5z
— PIAP Space (@PIAP_Space) April 9, 2025
In addition, TITAN can be equipped with various tips, grippers and manipulators adapted to a specific mission.
“TITAN is the most advanced robotic manipulator developed in Poland and probably one of the most modern of its kind in Europe. We designed it to be not only precise but also universal,” said Paweł Paśko, head of the mechatronics section at PIAP Space.
“Thanks to its modular architecture, it can be scaled to various applications—both orbital and exploration. What's more, appropriate structural seals also allow it to be adapted to work in dusty environments—such as the regolith-covered surface of the Moon—which opens the way to its use in planetary exploration missions,” he added.
The prototype of the device will be showcased during the European Space Agency’s Space Security Conference in Warsaw from April 14 to 15.
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