Research/ PLANETARY ROBOTICS

Some Key Explorations in Planetary Rover Autonomy for ISRU Roles on the Moon

Alex A. Ellery

ASCE Earth & Space 2023/Jan 5, 2023/ 1 citations

Space × Robotics × AIPLANETARY ROBOTICS ISRU & CONSTRUCTION

Technique

Surface Mobility & TerramechanicsOpenAlex topic: Soil Mechanics and Vehicle Dynamics · Perception & State EstimationOpenAlex topic: Robotics and Sensor-Based Localization · Motion Planning & NavigationOpenAlex keyword: path planning

Indexed as

OpenAlexSoil Mechanics and Vehicle Dynamics · Planetary Science and Exploration · Robotics and Sensor-Based Localization

DOI Semantic Scholar OpenAlex

We explore several facets of lunar rovers relevant to the conduct of lunar mining. In particular, we suggest that subsurface mining for asteroidal material shall be necessary. Our end-to-end 30 kg Kapvik microrover prototype has served as a testbed for exploring these issues—terramechanics, vision, SLAM, path planning, onboard intelligence, and multi-rover deployment. We suggest that microrovers are fully functionally capable platforms for lunar ISRU, especially if employed as cooperative fleets.