Polish engineers have created a mechanism for a lunar hopper. The robot, commissioned by the European Space Agency (ESA), is intended to serve as an alternative to rovers, which sometimes struggle in the challenging terrain of the Moon.
The Polish company Astronika presented the completed mechanism of the lunar hopper’s leg on Wednesday at the European Space Research and Technology Center (ESA-ESTEC) in Noordwijk, the Netherlands.
Polish engineers, working on behalf of ESA, are developing a robotic vehicle that could supplement rovers. These machines, traditionally used on the Moon, sometimes have difficulty navigating the uneven terrain covered with a loose layer of rocks and dust known as regolith.
Lead engineer Łukasz Wiśniewski explained: “If the hopper gets stuck somewhere, it’s not a problem. That’s exactly its task, to reach places where no one has attempted to go before and to perform pioneering measurements.”
In the mountainous regions of the Moon, which have often presented insurmountable barriers for rovers, the hopper will be able to move freely. These mountainous regions are currently of great interest to scientists studying the history of the Solar System and the natural resource deposits.
In the first phase of the project, Polish engineers designed, built, and tested the hopper’s legs, which are a crucial component for the entire robot’s operation.
Following a successful presentation at the European Space Research and Technology Center, Astronika hopes the project will continue, and ESA will commission them to produce a full-scale model of the machine for use in lunar missions.
The technology developed by the Polish team addresses many of the problems encountered by previous space missions during landings on celestial bodies. Landers often tipped over or became stuck in difficult terrain.
The Polish hopper weighs less than 10 kg and is energy-efficient. Its creators assure that it can jump to a height of over 3 meters on the Moon.
Equipped with cameras, the hopping robot can study the mechanical properties of regolith. Knowledge about lunar soil is crucial for tasks such as vehicle and human movement on the Moon’s surface and the construction of potential bases there.
Obtaining such information through a relatively inexpensive tool like the hopper may reduce the costs of future space missions.
Poles are among the pioneers in the development of this technology, which could prove to be groundbreaking in the exploration of celestial bodies.
Polish engineers, working on behalf of ESA, are developing a robotic vehicle that could supplement rovers. These machines, traditionally used on the Moon, sometimes have difficulty navigating the uneven terrain covered with a loose layer of rocks and dust known as regolith.
Lead engineer Łukasz Wiśniewski explained: “If the hopper gets stuck somewhere, it’s not a problem. That’s exactly its task, to reach places where no one has attempted to go before and to perform pioneering measurements.”
In the mountainous regions of the Moon, which have often presented insurmountable barriers for rovers, the hopper will be able to move freely. These mountainous regions are currently of great interest to scientists studying the history of the Solar System and the natural resource deposits.
In the first phase of the project, Polish engineers designed, built, and tested the hopper’s legs, which are a crucial component for the entire robot’s operation.
Following a successful presentation at the European Space Research and Technology Center, Astronika hopes the project will continue, and ESA will commission them to produce a full-scale model of the machine for use in lunar missions.
The technology developed by the Polish team addresses many of the problems encountered by previous space missions during landings on celestial bodies. Landers often tipped over or became stuck in difficult terrain.
The Polish hopper weighs less than 10 kg and is energy-efficient. Its creators assure that it can jump to a height of over 3 meters on the Moon.
Equipped with cameras, the hopping robot can study the mechanical properties of regolith. Knowledge about lunar soil is crucial for tasks such as vehicle and human movement on the Moon’s surface and the construction of potential bases there.
Obtaining such information through a relatively inexpensive tool like the hopper may reduce the costs of future space missions.
Poles are among the pioneers in the development of this technology, which could prove to be groundbreaking in the exploration of celestial bodies.
Source: TVP Opole, Polskie Radio, PAP
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