JAXA experienced remote control technology equipment for the construction of a lunar base

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has been testing autonomous and remote control construction equipment technologies that will be needed for the construction of a research base on the surface of our planet's satellite. This is the press release on the JAXA website. As pointed out by the source, the development of the project the necessary technology began in 2016, with the involvement of some schools and higher educational institutions in Japan. technology audit was conducted on various construction sites.

The JAXA believe that the remote control technology of the construction process beyond the Earth, for example, on the moon or Mars, will become an important tool for the colonization. However, in this case, it becomes necessary to compensate for the command delay time for construction machinery from the ground, which would otherwise cause loss of efficiency and productivity.

On Earth, these technologies can also be useful, as they allow to compensate the shortage of skilled labor in the construction industry, which has traditionally focused on human labor. The agency said that in order to work on the Earth satellite in the first place need excavators and tractors with a remote control system, which will allow to perform the most difficult tasks in the deployment of the base:

• To clear the surface to create platforms for the installation of residential, as well as scientific and other modules;
• Perform surface excavation for safe and reliable installation;
• Perform the installation modules;
• Screening modules from external influence of cosmic radiation, meteorites and other factors at the expense of the existing soil on the planetary surface of the body.

Japanese engineers JAXA modified ground unit of the technique (7 tons each), setting them in a remote control system and making its autonomous part. Employees of Japanese agencies are also equipped with special sensors mechanisms that allow automatically determine the location of the equipment on the lunar surface. With their technique using can independently calculate the optimal route of transportation and do some of the work without human intervention. Similar sensors also compensate for probable faults in the reception of signals from the command center, which will be delayed by several seconds due to the large distance between the planet and the satellite.

The technique was modified for remote and partially autonomous control

"The various operations were worked out during the tests. We tested the ability to automate the movement of equipment, as well as a remote control system. Tests confirmed that the technique is suitable for the construction of a lunar base, "- explained in a press release JAXA.

Now the agency is going to begin to address the issues associated with the delivery of equipment to the Moon, the total weight of which can be several tens of tons.

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