Development of a semi-autonomous micro rover for lunar night survival

Abstract :

The exploration of the moon for scientific purposes and the utilisation of local resources is once again coming to the fore. Robotic systems are playing an increasingly important role in exploring and traversing the complex lunar surface. Exploration potential is seen in rovers in particular. Current rover systems are generally large, very complex and heavy. However, research is now moving in the direction of smaller size classes, so-called micro rovers. The main challenges for such exploration missions is to navigate autonomously through the hostile lunar environment and extend the mission lifetime by surviving the lunar night while at the same time sticking to the mass budget of a few kilograms. With these ambitions the design is driven by low-power, limited mass, and the capability of surviving the lunar environment. The project SAMLER-KI (Semi-autonomous micro rover for lunar exploration using artificial intelligence) aims to open the potential for future micro rover missions. Thus, the focus is on conceptual design of a micro rover with a higher level of autonomy and the capability of survival of lunar nights within the class size of a micro rover. This paper presents the progress and innovations in the technical design as well as improvements in the mission parameters of the developed micro rover. The SAMLER-KI rover shall traverse the mission trajectory semi-autonomously and get scientific data by onboard sensors and payload instruments. Furthermore, the paper describes the change of the planned landing site and trajectory towards the Reiner Gamma region of the lunar surface due to the consideration of factors like lunar pits, slope, and sun angle. The details of the design parameters for different subsystems presented in this paper include the design and sizing of the locomotion system as well as the design and analyses of the structural and electrical power system. Further, the elaboration of the guidance, navigation, and control subsystems critical for semi-autonomous navigation are presented, as well as analyses of the thermal control system, including an assessment of thermal control methods crucial for lunar night survivability. The paper concludes with initial analysis and test results of selected subsystem models.

Keywords :

planetary robotics, micro rover, autonomous navigation, night survival, thermal protection, lunar exploration, payload.

Links:

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13991338