Long-Reach Robotic Cleaning for Lunar Solar Arrays

TL;DR

This paper presents a robotic system with a long-reach arm and force control for cleaning lunar solar arrays, aiming to mitigate dust accumulation and extend system lifespan in lunar missions.

Contribution

It introduces a novel robotic cleaning platform with compliant force sensing and control, suitable for maintenance of lunar surface infrastructure.

Findings

Maintained approximately 2 N normal force during cleaning motions

Achieved RMS force error of about 0.2 N after initial contact

Demonstrated potential of deployable long-reach manipulators for lunar maintenance

Abstract

Commercial lunar activity is accelerating the need for reliable surface infrastructure and routine operations to keep it functioning. Maintenance tasks such as inspection, cleaning, dust mitigation, and minor repair are essential to preserve performance and extend system life. A specific application is the cleaning of lunar solar arrays. Solar arrays are expected to provide substantial fraction of lunar surface power and operate for months to years, supplying continuous energy to landers, habitats, and surface assets, making sustained output mission-critical. However, over time lunar dust accumulates on these large solar arrays, which can rapidly degrade panel output and reduce mission lifetime. We propose a small mobile robot equipped with a long-reach, lightweight deployable boom and interchangeable cleaning tool to perform gentle cleaning over meter-scale workspaces with minimal human involvement. Building on prior vision-guided long-reach manipulation, we add a compliant wrist with distal force sensing and a velocity-based admittance controller to regulate stable contact during surface cleaning. In preliminary benchtop experiments on a planar surface, the system maintained approximately 2 N normal force while executing a simple cleaning motion over boom lengths from 0.3 m to 1.0 m, with RMS force error of approximately 0.2 N after initial contact. These early results suggest that deployable long-reach manipulators are a promising architecture for robotic maintenance of lunar infrastructure such as solar arrays, radiators, and optical surfaces.