Autonomous Multi-Mode Rover Navigation for Long-Range Planetary Exploration Using Orbital and Locally Perceived Data

摘要

Future robotic space exploration missions like Mars Sample Return aim to maximise scientific return: they need to cover more surface area; one of the major challenges is to increase planetary rover's traverse speed while maintaining robustness for safety. Hence a more advanced autonomy system is required. The planetary rover multi-mode navigation system presented here is designed to maximise the travel distance in function of the traversed terrain difficulty, incorporating locally perceived and orbital data. The navigation mode is selected autonomously depending on the terrain difficulty being traversed. This work is part of the European Robotic Goal-Oriented Autonomous Controller (ERGO) project funded by the European Commission's H2020 Programme. The presented system is developed by Airbus Defence and Space Ltd. by building on the expertise from the ExoMars Rover Vehicle Guidance Navigation and Control system. It implements a novel navigation architecture using dynamically reconfigurable multi-mode autonomy together with an efficient Hazard Prevention module, checking for safety. Furthermore, the architecture presents the opportunity to combine navigation algorithms from different sources to seamlessly use the most appropriate one at specific periods of a mission. While the project is still on-going, already available simulation results enable to extrapolate the capability to traverse safely 1 km in a single Martian sol.