A flexible modular approach for the exploration and settlement of planetary environments

Designing large precursor missions for planetary exploration and settlement is proving daunting due to several concurrent challenges: infrastructure needs to be modularized and standardized; modules need to be transported quickly, efficiently and reliably; using robots to assemble modular structures is a challenging problem; low terrain trafficability severely impair rover velocity and accessibility; use of in-situ resources (ISRU) is required to reduce launched mass; reliable power needs to be available during construction and operations. In this work, we propose an integrated framework for the exploration of planetary environments, the assembly of precursor bases and ultimately human settlement. The framework is centred on the TransRoPorter (TRP) robot in development at the DLR’s Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics, and specially designed Payload Modules (PM) that make up the spine of the infrastructure. We show that most challenges can be tackled efficiently and effectively with our framework, by selecting a few use-cases: a crater-based water-ice extraction scenario and a sensor network assembly. We provide in-depth simulations that showcase the feasibility of the approach using the TRP-PM based solution. • We show a planetary exploration approach based on a carrier rover and payload modules; • We propose a framework to classify and develop missions using our architecture; • Two use cases justify the approach and validate it through broad simulations; • Results show feasibility and rover performance across stances and kinematics.