1. Y. Gao UK-RAS White Paper on Space Robotics & Autonomous Systems: Widening the horizon of space exploration (2016); http://hamlyn.doc.ic.ac.uk/uk-ras/sites/default/files/UK_RAS_wp_space.pdf.
2. Noting this paper does not consider regular orbiting satellite or flyby spacecraft that only have mobility in their orbital trajectory. In addition although these spacecrafts are technically “robotic ” they typically do not have intimate unpredictable interactions with their environment that is more typical of the “robotics field ” such as driving mobility sampling manipulation or assembly or atmospheric interactions as with an airplane a helicopter or an aerobot.
3. Level of autonomy onboard spacecraft defined by European Cooperation for Space Standardization (ECSS) [42]: Level E1: Execution mainly under real-time ground control that is remote or teleoperation; Level E2 execution of preplanned mission operations onboard that is automatic operation; Level E3 execution of adaptive mission operations onboard that is semi-autonomous operation; Level E4 execution of goal-oriented mission operations on board that is fully autonomous operation.
4. Y. Gao Ed. Contemporary Planetary Robotics—An Approach to Autonomous Systems (Wiley-VCH 2016) pp. 1–450 ISBN-13: 978–3527413256.
5. Achievements in space robotics