The year is 2035. An Ariane 6 rocket blazes into the sky, delivering an Argonaut mission to the Moon. On the lunar surface, astronauts and robots work hand in hand, pushing the boundaries of exploration, uncovering the Moon’s secrets, and bringing knowledge and innovation back to Earth for the benefit of all.
Also known as the Moon on Earth, the LUNA facility near the European Astronaut Centre (EAC) in Cologne, Germany, was unveiled in September 2024, a simulated lunar environment that prepares our return to the Moon. To celebrate, ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer joined forces with our robotics experts to showcase their cutting-edge machines Interact and Spot, and the potential of human-robot teamwork for space exploration.
ESA astronauts Thomas Pesquet and Matthias Maurer start the LUNA inauguration show. Credit: ESA/DLR
Ready…
Meet ESA’s robots: Interact, a wheeled robotic arm, and Spot, a robot dog. ESA’s robotics team in the Netherlands programs these machines for human-robot interaction experiments such as Surface Avatar, where astronauts on the International Space Station control robots in a simulated martian environment on Earth. The robots also starred in the inauguration show of LUNA. The team began preparations at their offices in ESTEC, ESA’s technical heart in the Netherlands.
“First, we had to decide what kind of demonstration we wanted to do with our robots,” says Rute Luz, a robotic engineer at ESA. “We had to make sure the choreography was reliable, following a strict timing for the live show with the astronauts.”
Sant with Spot and Interact at the team’s lab at ESTEC in Noordwijk, the Netherlands. Credit: ESA-Robotics team
The team decided to re-use a portion of the robot choreography in the most recent session of Surface Avatar in July 2024, which involved several robots working together to bring a sample to a lunar lander mock-up.
But this robot choreography at LUNA added a complication. “For Surface Avatar, an astronaut was there to coordinate the robots, but this time we had the challenge of making the robots work completely autonomously,” continues Rute. The team had to programme the robot fleet to recognise once one robot had completed their task so another robot could automatically begin their task.
Set…
A few weeks before the event, the team took Interact and Spot on a road trip to Germany to rehearse in LUNA itself. The facility replicates many of the conditions on the Moon, including harsh lighting simulating the Sun and the long shadows it casts on the surface near the lunar south pole, identified as a promising location for human exploration.
The LUNA facility simulates the stark, long shadows near the Moon’s south pole. Credit: ESA-Robotics team
“In our lab in the Netherlands, there are many features that Spot can use to understand its position; however, the bright lights, dark shadows and relatively featureless terrain of LUNA made it especially difficult to map the environment and for Spot to localise itself,” says Sant Brinkman, robotic engineer at ESA.
The interface the robotics team created to set up the robots’ autonomous choreography. Credit: ESA-Robotics team
The floor was also a challenge; the LUNA facility contains regolith simulant to represent dust on the lunar surface. The team ensured that Spot’s on-board computer was covered to avoid long-term damage due to dust, as a lesson learned from Interact’s experience with such terrains during an experiment on Mount Etna in 2022.
Spot picks up a sample in the dark LUNA environment. Credit: ESA-Robotics team
The team learned to overcome these conditions, making the robots’ navigation system more robust, strapping some lights onto them and adjusting the choreography as needed to prepare for the show.
The last preparation before the inauguration day – Spot now sports ESA blue proudly! Credit: ESA-Robotics team
Action!
The stage is set for the inauguration: the Argonaut lunar descent element stands next to Interact and Spot. Credit: ESA-Robotics team.
On 25 September 2024, the ESA-DLR LUNA facility opened its doors. On its 700-square metre simulated lunar floor, visitors witnessed astronauts and robots working seamlessly together, gloved-hand in robotic hand.
Amid the regolith simulant, the Argonaut lunar descent element model stood as a symbol of Europe’s Moon ambitions. ESA astronauts Matthias Maurer and Thomas Pesquet joined the stars of the show, Interact and Spot, for an inspiring demonstration of autonomous teamwork. The event was more than a technical feat; it was a glimpse of humankind’s future on the Moon.
Spot follows the astronauts during the performance at the LUNA inauguration show. Credit: ESA-Robotics team
The astronauts pat Spot, with congratulations on a job well done! Credit: ESA-Robotics team
That’s a wrap!
What was the experience like?
“This was a great experience; we were able to learn what is important in these conditions, such as dust-proofing and improving perception in this challenging environment. We had a great collaboration between the teams at ESTEC and EAC which sparked some new ideas for the future,” says Thomas Krueger, robotic system engineer at ESA.
The robotics team – Sant, Thomas and Rute – with Matthias and Thomas… and Spot of course! Credit: ESA-Robotics team.
What did you learn?
“It was interesting to see the limits of the robot systems and how we can make them more robust; testing in a simulated environment, especially the harsh conditions at LUNA, is very different to testing in the lab. You come across (and solve!) things that you would never have anticipated,” says Sant.
Sant uses the team’s interface system to supervise Interact and Spot at LUNA. Credit: ESA-Robotics team.
Will this be useful for experiments such as Surface Avatar?
“We had to design high-level actions for the robots in this choreography, a skill which will definitely be useful for experiments such as Surface Avatar. By automating longer tasks, astronauts can take on a supervisory role instead of guiding every step. While this will require additional effort to create a supportive interface, this event has inspired us to push these ideas forward for the future,” says Rute.
Rute and Sant next to Interact and the Argonaut lunar descent element mock-up. Credit: ESA-Robotics team.