This project will develop and test an intra-vehicular robotic (IVR) prototype solution to handle logistics in a pressurised module for use on the International Space Station (ISS) or the Lunar Gateway (Gateway). The IVR solution will ultimately be able to be remotely supervised from Earth, while also having local autonomous operations capabilities.
The Gateway is a space station orbiting the Moon that provides vital logistics support for a sustainable, long-term human return to the lunar surface, as well as a staging point for deep space exploration. The Gateway Logistics Services will be a series of unscrewed spaceflights that delivery supplies to this lunar outpost.
The development of logistic capabilities is a pressing commercial challenge for NASA. In March 2020, NASA released a solicitation inviting freight technology companies to collaborate in the development of a next-generation supply chain that can overcome the challenges of distance, zero gravity, isolation and extreme conditions.
The project is funded by the Australian Space Agency through the Trailblazer program of the Moon to Mars Initiative. We have partnered with MDA Space (the folk who built the Canadarm space station external robotic arm).