General Information for all Submitters

General Information for all Submitters to the Joint i-SAIRAS & iSpaRo Conference 2026

The organizers of the Joint i-SAIRAS & iSpaRo Conference 2026 invite authors to submit contributions for presentation in Cologne, Germany, from 03–06 November 2026. The i-SAIRAS & iSpaRo Conferences 2026 will be held together for the first time, hosted by the German Aerospace Center (DLR e.V.).

I. Important Dates

Information for all authors are provided here.

II. Topics of the Joint i-SAIRAS & iSpaRo Conference 2026

The Topics of the Joint i-SAIRAS & iSpaRo Conference 2026 are found here.

III. Important instructions for allSubmitters of the Joint i-SAIRAS & iSpaRo Conference 2026

Please note:
The i-SAIRAS and iSpaRo 2026 conferences are collocated, but the submission processes are slightly different.

Abstract submission for i-SAIRAS can be done through this website exclusively
Full Paper submission (six page IEEE standard) for i-SpaRo can be done through IEEE Papercept exclusively.

The following overview explains the steps (1-5) required for the submission process to ensure the
successful electronic submission of abstracts for i-SAIRAS and paper for iSpaRo.

Pre-Registration for all Submitters (STEP 1 + 2)

Create your account on this webpage (STEP 1)
Edit your contact information for pre-registration
Pre-registration is mandatory for all abstract submitters to i-SAIRAS and paper submitters to iSpaRo (STEP 1)
Select for which part (i-SAIRAS or iSpaRo) of the joint i-SAIRAS & iSpaRo Conference you are submitting (STEP 2)
All abstract/paper related participants to the conference should pre-register at the conference website by the abstract/paper deadline,
later registration might be refused, presenting authors necessarily need to pre-register by the deadline. (By pre-registration, no cost related booking need to be executed yet)

Electronic Submission (STEP 3)

Steps required to submit an abstract for i-SAIRAS

By clicking the “Continue Button” (after STEP 1+2)
you will proceed to the abstract template for i-SAIRAS
Edit the abstract template for i-SAIRAS
Before Submitting an abstract for i-SAIRAS
- Please enter the title and category for your abstract.
- Save your abstract with the button "Submit abstract"
After the abstract submission is completed, an electronic confirmation will be generated automatically and
sent to the e-mail address provided.
Please also check your spam folder.
Abstracts can be corrected or modified until the deadline of the abstract submission. After the abstract submission deadline is closed no modifications are possible anymore.
More information you will find in the section
Call for Abstracts i-SAIRAS.

Steps required to submit papers for iSpaRo

Once you have created your profile and selected the option to submit a paper for iSpaRo, the system confirms “Thank you for your pre-registration” and you will find further information for IEEE submission process.
Your Pre-registration is complete
You will not receive a separate e-mail confirmation regarding
your successful pre-registration
More information you will find in the
section Call for Paper iSparo

Important information

The iSpaRo review process will adhere to IEEE/RAS standards.
Each paper will be reviewed by 2-3 experts to assess its technical significance, research novelty, and practical contributions. To ensure a rigorous and comprehensive review and a distributed reviewing effort in the community, all submitting authors will be required to review at least one paper. All accepted papers will be submitted for inclusion in IEEE Xplore, subject to IEEE Xplore’s scope and quality requirements

IEEE/RAS standards - https://www.ieee-eui.org/ras.html
IEEE/RAS paper platform - https://ras.papercept.net/

Latest News:
Paper submission for iSpaRo is now open. Contributions can now be submitted through the following submission portal:
https://ras.papercept.net/

Templates for iSpaRo:

Latex template: (La)TeX Support for manuscript preparation
Word template: MS Word Support for manuscript preparation

Notification of Acceptance for all Submitters of the Joint i-SAIRAS & iSpaRo Conference 2026 (STEP 4)

E-Mail Notification
- i-SAIRAS: The notification will be sent out automatically via this registration website
  and system on 16 August 2026 to the i-SAIRAS submitters
- iSpaRo:The scientific notification will be send via Papercept on the IEEE platform
  (to be able to present your iSpaRo Paper at the joint conference.
- All pre-registered submitters (i-SAIRAS & iSpaRo) will receive a link (STEP 4) to finalize the registration
  and complete payment for the Joint i-SAIRAS & iSpaRo Conference 2026 on 16 August 2026 (STEP 5)
Please note:
Only the corresponding author (pre-registered person) will be the point of contact for all communication and is required to share all necessary information with their co-author(s) and will receive the email acceptance notification.

Registration and Payment (STEP 5)

Registration is mandatory for every accepted presenter. After acceptance, only the corresponding author (pre-registered person)
will receive a link to finalize the registration and complete payment for the Joint i-SAIRAS & iSpaRo Conference 2026.
If the presenting author of an accepted contribution does not complete registration before the registration deadline,
eligibility to present at the Joint i-SAIRAS & iSpaRo Conference 2026 will be lost without prior notice.
The deadline will also be stated in the acceptance notification e-mail.
All information about registration and participant fees for the Joint i-SAIRAS & iSpaRo Conference 2026 will be
available on the subpage Registration from the end of March 2026.
Any co-authors wishing to attend together with the presentation author are also required to register for the conference
Every presenting author who will finalize her/his registration until
16 September 2026 will benefit from the Early Bird conference fee. Early Bird fee depends on the time of your registration,
not on the time of payment. That means that the fee stated on your invoice will stay the same even
if your payment is done after the Early Bird deadline.

Please note:
Presenters are responsible for their own expenses, including the conference registration fee, travel, accommodation, and other related costs.

IV. Basic Guidelines for the Joint I-SAIRAS & iSpaRo conference

Please read carefully the general guidelines below, before submitting an abstract for i-SAIRAS or a paper for iSpaRo. The abstract for i-SAIRAS or a paper for iSpaRo submission processes of the Joint i-SAIRAS and iSpaRo 2026 conference are slightly different for both parts of the conference, which is explained here:

i-SAIRAS

Prepare your abstract for i-SAIRAS and note the length, style,
and acceptable file formats in the template.
The abstract submission process for i-SAIRAS can be done through this website exclusively and all informations will be send out from here.
(Deadline 16.6. – Length 400 Words)
You may request your preferred presentation type as oral or poster. Please be reminded that the Conference Chair of the i-SAIRAS 2026 will schedule presentations according to authors’ preferences but reserves the right to decide on the final type of presentation.
After the abstract submission process is closed no modification and corrections are possible.

iSpaRo

Preparing a full paper submission for the IEEE requires a login to the Papercept IEEE platform Start Page of the Conference Management System:

https://ras.papercept.net/
All corresponding information’s will be send by this system to the corresponding author. Furthermore, its required the at least the presenting Author of a submission is also pre-registered at this conference website, to ensure presence at the conference.
Please be aware that the IEEE specifies particular guidelines and requirements for submitting papers and all papers must follow the standard IEEE
All iSpaRo paper submitters will receive a scientific acceptance notification

Basic Guidelines for all

Abstracts for i-SAIRAS & papers for iSpaRo must be received by the announced deadline. Abstracts and papers received after the deadline will not be considered.
The presenting author is required to ensure that all co-authors are aware of the content of the abstract or paper before submission.
The presenting author must ensure that all authors have given their consent to be listed as co-authors on the submitted abstract or paper.
Authorship and author order should be agreed upon by all authors.
The presenting author is responsible for the accuracy of all contents of the abstract or paper.
The presenting author must ensure that the contents of the abstract or paper do not infringe the copyright and any other rights of any third party.
All abstracts or papers must be submitted and presented in English
Registration
- all presenting authors must register and pay the participant’s fee

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS i-SAIRAS

Preparing an Abstract i-SAIRAS

Please submit the abstract via the webpage Joint i-SAIRAS & iSpaRo Conference 2026
before the submission deadline 16 June 2026

All abstracts for i-SAIRS should address one of the Topics of the Joint i-SAIRAS & iSpaRo Conference 2026

The Topics of the Joint i-SAIRAS & iSpaRo Conference 2026 you will find here

The i-SAIRAS abstract template is available to you through the abstract submission system on this website.
It has been pre-formatted for your convenience. Insert your content in the template provided

Abstract Review

Your abstract will be reviewed by the i-SAIRAS International Executive Committee who decides on its acceptance based on the general scientific criteria (general interest, relevance, originality/novelty, quality, and clarity). The Scientific Committee decides whether a contribution will be presented orally or as a poster, trying to accommodate the preferences of the submitter as far as possible.

Information for oral and poster presenter

Detailed instructions and information for oral and poster presenters will be available on the webpage Joint i-SAIRAS & iSpaRo Conference 2026

The handling of personal data is controlled by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and associated legislation.
Therefore, every presenter has to fill out and sign the DLR Declaration of consent at the registration desk onsite.

Proceedings i-SAIRAS

i-SAIRAS papers will be published in the conference proceedings on the following ESA-website: Space_Engineering_Technology/Automation_and_Robotics/i-SAIRAS
i-SAIRAS proceedings will not be indexed in Scopus.

CALL FOR PAPERS ISpaRo 2026

The International Conference on Space Robotics (iSpaRo), launched in 2024, is a new international conference dedicated to advancements in Space Robotics. iSpaRo will feature presentations from both academic and industry offering attendees a comprehensive view of the latest advancements through oral and poster sessions as well as keynotes and workshops. iSpaRo conference also aims to foster a network of researchers and industry professionals, including the new generations and emerging talent, to encourage future collaborations and innovations.

For more information please follow the link:
RAS Papercept (The PaperPlaza Conference/Journal Management System)

iSpaRo follows a standard IEEE format, combining oral and poster presentations, keynotes, workshops, and demonstrations. Submitted papers should describe original, unpublished research work. Papers should be 6 pages (US letter size) in length, with a maximum of 2 extra pages, including all figures, tables, acknowledgement, appendices, and bibliography. A single PDF file must not exceed 6 MB in size. Papers should follow the IEEE RAS paper template, see here.
All papers must be in English and submitted electronically in PDF format. We encourage authors to submit a 1-min video (up to 10 MB) to complement their paper. Submissions will be done through RAS papercept. Accepted papers will be published in the conference proceedings and submitted for inclusion into IEEE Xplore subject to meeting IEEE Xplore's scope and quality requirements. All submitted papers will be subject to a rigorous peer review process for their technical and practical contributions to the field of Space Robotics including (but not limited),
the following topics:

Robotic Manipulation in Space
Space Robotic Locomotion
Orbital Mission Planning
Spacecraft/Satellite Technology
Proximity Ops/Rendezvous/Docking
In-Space Operations and Services (ISOS)
Active Debris Removal
Autonomy for Orbital Space Systems
Artificial Intelligence for orbital operations
Intelligence and Autonomy for Planetary Exploration Robots
Planetary Mission Planning
Robotic Manipulation and ISRU for Planetary Missions
Perception/Vision Sensors for space robotics
Robotic Testing Facilities, Simulation Frameworks, Digital Twins
Telerobotics and teleoperation
Multi-Robot Cooperation/Collaboration
Human Robotic Interaction

Paper Review

Your paper will be peer-reviewed by IEEE and evaluated based on originality, significance, quality, and clarity.
The Technical Programme Chair will inform the corresponding author whether a contribution will be presented orally or as a poster.

CALL FOR WORKSHOPS

We invite proposals for half-day workshops to take place in conjunction with the International Conference on Space Robotics, (iSpaRo) 2026. Workshops will be held in the morning or afternoon of November 5. Please submit your workshop proposal through the Paperplaza submission site.

Relevant dates will be announced in short.

Workshops held at IspaRo 2026: Morning or afternoon of November 5, 2026

We encourage proposals that provide a comprehensive overview of latest developments in space robotics, either in orbital services or planetary exploration. Generic robotic topics (e.g. machine learning, soft robotics, robotic manipulation) are acceptable as long as the proposal is clearly focused on space robotic developments and applications. Topics of interest include, but are not restricted, to

Dexterity, Manipulation, and Grasping in Space
Perception and Locomotion for planetary exploration
Simulation and validation Platforms for Space Applications
Modularity in Space Robotics Systems
Advanced Materials for Space Applications
In-space Servicing, Assembly and Manufacturing
Soft robotics for space applications
Generative AI and Automation in Space Exploration

Proceedings iSpaRo

Submission of a paper acknowledges your acceptance for the paper to be published in the conference proceedings.
Accepted papers will be submitted for inclusion into IEEE Xplore subject to meeting IEEE Xplore's scope and quality requirements

Further information for all

The online conference programme of the Joint i-SAIRAS & iSpaRo Conference 2026 will include the abstracts and papers and an author list.

The online conference programme will be published only on the Joint i-SAIRAS & iSpaRo Conference 2026 webpage

The German Space Agency at DLR and the German Aerospace Center (DLR e. V.) as host of the Joint i-SAIRAS & iSpaRo Conference 2026
is therefore not responsible for any other publication to other public portals or other external websites and tools.

Please note:
We (German Space Agency at DLR and the German Aerospace Center (DLR e. V.)
will not make your presentation slide accessible to others via the conference website Joint i-SAIRAS & iSpaRo Conference 2026 or neither will it be stored there at any time. The registration website and registration system with all its stored information will be online until December 2026.

Information about the Photos on site

After the event, the photos, especially the group photo taken by our DLR photographer will be made available online exclusively via the website of the Joint i-SAIRAS & iSpaRo Conference 2026. Only registered participants of the Joint i-SAIRAS & iSpaRo Conference 2026 will have access to the event photos via a password protected aera on the website.
To enter the sub-page, you need a password for this password protected area on the website. The password will be sent to registered participants only, after the Joint i-SAIRAS & iSpaRo Conference 2026

Contact Information

For inquiries and submission details, please contact:

i-SAIRAS	iSpaRo
isairas@dlr.de Thomas Wolf, Robert Stützer German Space Agency at DLR Königswinterer Str. 522–524 53227 Bonn, Germany	info@isparo.space Armin Wedler, Maximo Roa DLR Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics Münchener Str. 20 82234 Weßling, Germany