Design, Testing, and Evolution of Mars Rover Testbeds: European Space Agency Planetary Exploration

摘要

This article presents the system architecture and design of two planetary rover laboratory testbeds developed at the European Space Agency (ESA). These research platforms have been developed to provide early prototypes for the validation of designs and serve the ESA’s Automation and Robotics Lab infrastructure for continuous research and testing. Both rovers have been built considering the constraints of space systems with a sufficient level of representativeness to allow rapid prototyping. They avoid strictly space-qualified components and designs that present a major cost burden and frequently lack the flexibility or modularity that the lab environment requires for its investigations. This design approach is followed for all of the mechanical, electrical, and software aspects of the system.