NASA test drove the mini autonomous rovers that will soon fly to the moon and collectively map the lunar surface.
The rovers are part of a technology demonstration called Cooperative Autonomous Distributed Robotic Exploration (CADRE), which is designed to show that a group of robotic spacecraft can work together without direct human control. NASA took the suitcase-sized rovers for a test drive across Mars Yard at the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to simulate the rugged terrain they’ll experience on the moon.
A series of tests, performed in August 2023 using two full-scale development models while the spacecraft were still under construction, confirmed the mini CADRE rovers were able to drive in unison and adjust their coordinated path to avoid obstacles, according to a statement from NASA.
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