Development and Testing of a Small Lunar Utility Rover

It has been no secret that the desire for future space development has been to establish a long-term sustainable human presence on the lunar surface and beyond. However, this introduces several risks to monetary and technological assets, astronaut safety as it comes to living in an isolated environment, and sustainability. By recognizing the potential to build from current investments, a system can be designed that contributes to mission completion and longevity, astronaut safety measures, and industry serviceability. The Servicing Crane Outfitted Rover for Payloads, Inspection, Operations, N'stuff (SCORPION) is dedicated to addressing the concerns surrounding lunar development. The main quality of the system is its ability to perform autonomous and controlled missions on the lunar surface, including maintaining and servicing equipment, monitoring the lunar environment, aligning, manipulating and mating umbilicals, and performing tasks that would otherwise impact astronaut safety. Equipped with a telescopic boom arm and two dexterous 7 degree-of-freedom manipulators with interchangeable end effector capabilities, SCORPION is capable of handling hundreds of kilograms of payloads and performing fine-maneuvering maintenance tasks. Its design is thoughtfully risk adverse, including a custom designed battery pack with combined battery nameplate energy of 5300 Wh, a niche passively radiating thermal system design, and integral self-servicing capabilities; SCORPION seeks to retire prioritized technology gaps and concerns. Furthermore, with integration of components and materials rated a technology readiness level (TRL) 5 and beyond, SCORPION is prepared for immediate development, suited for the earliest planned mission stages, and readily adaptable for the future.