Robots prepare to handle cargo on Moon as part of Artemis program

Robots prepare to handle cargo on Moon as part of Artemis program
by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Sep 26, 2024

As NASA advances toward establishing a long-term presence on the Moon through the Artemis campaign, the ability to move cargo from landers to the lunar surface autonomously has become a critical need. This cargo, referred to as payloads, could include anything from small scientific instruments to large components for building lunar infrastructure. However, with no crew on the surface to manage these tasks, NASA is turning to robotic systems and new software to fill the gap.

For the past two years, a team at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, has been working on enhancing existing robotic hardware with a new autonomous software system. Earlier this month, the team, led by Dr. Julia Cline from NASA Langley's Research Directorate, conducted demonstrations of their newly developed system, called LANDO (Lightweight Surface Manipulation System AutoNomy capabilities Development for surface Operations and construction).

The demonstrations were held in an environment designed to resemble the lunar surface, complete with artificial boulders and a mock lunar lander. During the first demonstration, a payload - a small metal box - was placed on a pedestal. The robotic arm, equipped with a hook, scanned the surrounding area, using sensors to locate the box, which was fitted with encoded markers to help the system identify its position and orientation. Amelia Scott, a member of the team, used a graphic interface to select where the payload should be placed.

Once the system calculated a safe path, the robotic arm moved deliberately toward the box, carefully grasped it, and lifted it from the pedestal. The arm then gently placed the payload on the simulated lunar surface, disengaged the hook, and returned to its starting position. The team repeated the demonstration with a small model rover.

"What we demonstrated was the repeatability of the system, moving multiple payloads to show that we're consistently and safely able to get them from point A to point B," said Cline. "We also demonstrated the Lightweight Surface Manipulation System hardware - the ability to control the system through space and plan a path around obstacles."

The successful demonstration marks the conclusion of this phase of the project but opens the door for larger applications on the Moon. Cline believes the next step would involve developing and testing an engineering design unit aboard a lunar lander, which could be delivered to the Moon through NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative.

NASA is working with commercial companies through CLPS to deliver science and technology experiments to the Moon, and the LANDO system could play a key role in handling much larger payloads in the future.

"The overall control system we've developed would apply to larger versions of the technology," said Cline. "When you think about the payloads we'll have to offload for on the Moon, like habitats and surface power systems, this is the kind of general-purpose tool that could be used for those tasks."

The LANDO system was funded through NASA's Early Career Initiative under the Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD), which supports the development of transformative technologies for future missions. STMD's work will be crucial as NASA uses the Moon as a testing ground for technologies that will one day be key to crewed missions to Mars.