SoftServe today announced plans of joining an international coalition on a NASA-funded project to develop lunar technologies. The project comes after San Antonio-based Astroport Space Technologies won a NASA STTR 2023 Phase II funding award to advance development of extreme environment landing pad technologies and enable safer lunar landings.
Led by award recipient Astroport, SoftServe’s robotics & advanced automation team will work alongside a consortium of global partners to collectively drive construction efforts on the Moon. Participating team members are tasked with simulating robotic systems for live construction, mechanical interaction, and free movement on the moon’s surface.
“As part of this project, we will create models for the terra-mechanical interaction between equipment, construction machinery, and regolith. Our work will involve the creation of a large number of digital simulations of the construction process on the Moon, taking into account the features and properties of the soil and various situations. Together with our partners we will also explore the possibilities of interaction between machines, devices on site, and optimal transportation concepts. This project allows us and our partners to work on advanced technologies for the future”, comments Lyubomyr Demkiv, Robotics Practice Leader, SoftServe.
The project is slated to begin January 2024. NASA’s Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program is an annual grant funding research, development, and demonstration of innovative technologies that support needs outlined by NASA.
Today, as part of the Artemis program, NASA sent Astrobotic’s first robotic lander Peregrine to the Moon with various scientific instruments.
