Lunar Rover Cargo Transport: Mission Concept and Field Test

TL;DR

This paper presents a field test of a lunar rover cargo transport system using lidar-based teach-and-repeat navigation, demonstrating autonomous cargo pickup and delivery in simulated lunar conditions.

Contribution

It introduces a lidar teach-and-repeat navigation method for lunar rovers, enabling precise autonomous cargo transport in hazardous environments.

Findings

Successful autonomous cargo pickup and delivery in field tests

High-precision path repetition suitable for lunar surface operations

Effective navigation in harsh environmental conditions

Abstract

In future operations on the lunar surface, automated vehicles will be required to transport cargo between known locations. Such vehicles must be able to navigate precisely in safe regions to avoid natural hazards, human-constructed infrastructure, and dangerous dark shadows. Rovers must be able to park their cargo autonomously within a small tolerance to achieve a successful pickup and delivery. In this field test, Lidar Teach and Repeat provides an ideal autonomy solution for transporting cargo in this way. A one-tonne path-to-flight rover was driven in a semi-autonomous remote-control mode to create a network of safe paths. Once the route was taught, the rover immediately repeated the entire network of paths autonomously while carrying cargo. The closed-loop performance is accurate enough to align the vehicle to the cargo and pick it up. This field report describes a two-week deployment at the Canadian Space Agency's Analogue Terrain, culminating in a simulated lunar operation to evaluate the system's capabilities. Successful cargo collection and delivery were demonstrated in harsh environmental conditions.