Photo: Asteroid Mining Corporation
When the space exploration history books are written in the future, they'll note that humanity's expansion into the Solar System, and perhaps the Universe, began with mining tools. That's because all rovers ever designed have performed some sort of mining operations, as they were gathering samples of Mars and various asteroids. But also because someone on this blue rock is working on a machine specifically designed to look for and dig up resources that can be used by humans on alien worlds.
The technology is called Space Capable Asteroid Robotic – Explorer, or SCAR-E, and it is the work of a British space startup called Asteroid Mining Corporation (AMC). It's shaped more or less like a metal spider, because it needs its many legs to grip surfaces that are otherwise unfriendly to wheeled rover, and it was made for the specific task of mining alien soil.
The SCAR-E prototype is relatively small compared to other robots sent out in the Solar System over the years, as it measures 1.6 meters (5.2 feet) across and weighs 15 kg (33 pounds). Its legs, six of them, feature fully reversable joints with individually-actuated grippers, and it comes with an integrated bay where to house the payload.
The robot moves aided by six symmetrically-arrayed cameras that give it a 360-degree field of view. It's unclear, though, exactly how the machine will dig into the soil to pick up samples and resources, but we do know its "advanced path planning and swarm coordination capabilities" can allow it to work in GPS-denied and comms-limited environments, with minimal human supervision.
A prototype of the machine was put through its paces in May 2024 at the Mars Analogue Environment at the Tohoku University in Japan. Soon, though, it will be tested in a real alien environment, on the Moon.
That's because AMC just struck a deal with private space company ispace to fly the SCAR-E on a future mission of the company.
ispace is an increasingly important name in this industry, and it most recently stepped into the spotlight thanks to a rover called Tenacious, being built as Europe's first-ever Moon rover. The crew is also involved in the development of a Moon lander called Resilience, which is expected to launch by the end of the year, and two other landers planned for the near future.
One of these future landers will carry with it the SCAR-E, which has to be put to the test in a real space environment to prove it can withstand exposure to radiation, survive the accelerations of launch, but also the extreme temperatures of space.
If it works, the robot will have applications not only on asteroids, its prime targets, but on Earth as well, where it could be used in high-risk tasks of various kinds, inspection work, or payload delivery.
The SCAR-E prototype is relatively small compared to other robots sent out in the Solar System over the years, as it measures 1.6 meters (5.2 feet) across and weighs 15 kg (33 pounds). Its legs, six of them, feature fully reversable joints with individually-actuated grippers, and it comes with an integrated bay where to house the payload.
The robot moves aided by six symmetrically-arrayed cameras that give it a 360-degree field of view. It's unclear, though, exactly how the machine will dig into the soil to pick up samples and resources, but we do know its "advanced path planning and swarm coordination capabilities" can allow it to work in GPS-denied and comms-limited environments, with minimal human supervision.
A prototype of the machine was put through its paces in May 2024 at the Mars Analogue Environment at the Tohoku University in Japan. Soon, though, it will be tested in a real alien environment, on the Moon.
That's because AMC just struck a deal with private space company ispace to fly the SCAR-E on a future mission of the company.
ispace is an increasingly important name in this industry, and it most recently stepped into the spotlight thanks to a rover called Tenacious, being built as Europe's first-ever Moon rover. The crew is also involved in the development of a Moon lander called Resilience, which is expected to launch by the end of the year, and two other landers planned for the near future.
One of these future landers will carry with it the SCAR-E, which has to be put to the test in a real space environment to prove it can withstand exposure to radiation, survive the accelerations of launch, but also the extreme temperatures of space.
If it works, the robot will have applications not only on asteroids, its prime targets, but on Earth as well, where it could be used in high-risk tasks of various kinds, inspection work, or payload delivery.
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