Video Transcript
NASAannouncedthat a test drive took place for two of its full-scale development model rovers at the agency’s Mars Yard in California. The rovers are a part of NASA’s Cooperative Autonomous Distributed Robotic Exploration project, orCADRE, which looks to develop a network of rovers that collaborate during lunar exploration.
According to NASA, the CADRE project wants to demonstrate that these rovers could autonomously record data and accomplish tasks without relying on commands or intervention from mission controllers back on Earth. Instead, they would communicate through mesh radios and a base station on a lunar lander.
The rovers, roughly the size of carry-on luggage, were developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. They are expected to be largely autonomous and feature four wheels, navigation sensors, a pair of stereo cameras, and a multistatic ground-penetrating radar capable of 3D mapping the Moon’s terrain.
NASA reported that, during the tests, the development models effectively drove in formation and modified their plans when they encountered unanticipated obstacles. The agency stated that the tests validated the CADRE software and hardware could work together to achieve the project’s objectives.
The robots’ success could eventually lead to autonomous missions aimed at scientific objectives based on distributed measurements, entering unexplored terrain, and assisting in astronaut activities.
NASA expects CADRE to reach the Moon’s Reiner Gamma region on the Intuitive Machines 3 lander this year. The robots will then conduct experiments that test their abilities during the daylight hours of a lunar day, approximately two weeks on Earth.
