The Lunar Volatiles Mobile Instrumentation (LUVMI) rover family provides a smart, low mass, innovative, modular and extendable platform. These rovers are designed to accommodate payloads and provide payload mobility on the moon. It is teleoperated with optional autonomous modes to allow for faster traverses and for safety when entering permanently shadowed regions.
LUVMI-X is an evolution of LUVMI devices that provide more payload accommodation and deployment capabilities, including deployment of small payloads, all within a lower mass and volume. In its reference configuration, LUVMI-X features a full set of volatiles science instruments – as well as cube payloads, including:
- A mass spectrometer
- A laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy system (LIBS)
- A radiation detector payloads
LUVMI-X provides a high ratio of rover to payload mass (targeting 1 to 1). Payloads connect to the rover via a standardized interface for power and data transfer. Payloads are accommodated from 1U upwards in multiples of 10cm:
- Mounted payloads, fixed to the rover platform
- Droppable payloads, softly deposited on the soil allowing for data collection away from rover related disturbances (vibratory, magnetic …)
- Propellable payloads will be projected up to 50m from the rover reaching otherwise inaccessible areas.
This rover has ambitions far beyond space. As it is designed to withstand extreme (weather) conditions, its technology could also be beneficial for maintenance, exploration or exploration of extreme regions on earth.
For more information on platform itself, please visit the Space Applications website