Hopping rovers for lunar exploration

In a first step towards uncovering the Moon’s subterranean secrets, in 2019 we asked for your ideas to detect, map and explore lunar caves. Five ideas were selected to be studied in more detail, each addressing different phases of a potential mission.

Traditional planetary exploration missions involve a single rover platform with wheels that can move across moderately uneven terrain. More extreme rocky surfaces are challenging, and the risk of the lone rover becoming lodged or toppling is high. Inspired by biology, this study carried out by the University of Manchester investigated a network of low-cost, low-mass agile hopping rovers that can vault and bounce in complex terrain. Each rover would be able to operate independently while also communicating with nearby rovers to share navigation and mapping data, using a range of complementary sensing packages, which could be deployed across the rover network.