Some Key Explorations in Planetary Rover Autonomy for ISRU Roles on the Moon
Publication: Earth and Space 2022
ABSTRACT
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.
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Earth and Space 2022
Pages: 207 - 222
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Published online: Jan 5, 2023
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