A mobility system for lunar rough terrain

JAXA is carrying out research and development of a mobile robot (rover) aimed at construction of human outpost and scientific exploration on the lunar surface. The target areas for base construction and lunar exploration are mainly in mountainous zones, and the surface is covered by regolith. Achieving a steady run on such rough terrain is the big technical problem for rovers. A newly developed lightweight crawler mechanism is good for driving on such irregular terrain because of its low contact force with the ground. This was determined considering the mass and expected payload of the rover. This paper describes the technologies of the rover designed for lunar exploration and base construction work, and presents the results of study into methods of dynamics testing and analysis which are needed in its development. This paper gives an overview of composition of the lunar rover mobility and control system.