Let’s go lunar roving – Surrey Space Centre wins Academy funding for Chinese exchange
Thursday 24 April 2008
Space engineer Dr Yang Gao of the Surrey Space Centre is to develop a new generation of lunar rovers with one of China’s top engineers, funded by The Royal Academy of Engineering. The project will pave the way for future moon shots such as the UK proposed Moonraker lander mission and the second phase of China’s Chang’e programme.
Dr Gao, originally from Singapore, is Lecturer in Space Autonomy at the Surrey Space Centre of the University of Surrey and Head of the Autonomy Research Group. She will be working with Associate Professor Hehua Ju of the Beijing University of Technology on one of the first projects supported by The Royal Academy of Engineering’s new Research Exchanges with China and India scheme.
Dr Gao and Professor Ju will both spend six months working at each other’s universities, investigating onboard guidance, navigation and control systems for a lunar rover that allows the rover to operate autonomously. One challenge is to develop robust stereo vision systems with precision of centimetres and can cope with the bright sunlight owing to the Moon’s thin atmosphere. They will also investigate autonomous localisation, path and motion planning techniques applicable to the lunar mission scenario. It is part of their plan to establish a remote control station in Surrey and operate during field tests in China of a latest lunar rover prototype.
China’s Chang’e programme, named after an angel in a Chinese legend who drinks a magic potion and flies to the Moon, successfully launched its lunar orbiter Chang’e 1 in November 2007. China’s National Space Agency plans a robotic lander and rover mission as the second phase after 2012.
Dr Gao is delighted to receive this Research Exchange Award. She comments: "This award is prestigious and valuable to us. It provides an excellent opportunity for researchers of the UK and China to exchange expertises and build up long-term relationship. The collaboration will help to generate key robotic technologies for future lunar explorations, which are of major interest to both parties."
Dr Gao also suggests that the award puts UK researchers in a good position to seize opportunities in the Chinese Chang’e programme. Professor Ju expresses his gratitude for the Academy’s support and says, "We are determined to keep a close, long-term link with Dr Gao’s group in developing lunar rover technologies and look forward to future exchange activities."
Professor Colin McInnes, Director of Research at the University of Strathclyde and a Fellow of The Royal Academy of Engineering, says, "This is a truly excellent project – China has long-term ambitions for a lunar rover, while Surrey has a key role in the UK’s emerging lunar exploration aspirations. I have no doubt that this will prime a long-term collaboration between China and the UK in a high profile and important field of engineering."
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