MDA Space and Partners Showcase Rover Operations at the Canadian Space Agency

MDA Space and our partners, Centre de Technologies Avancées (CTA) and the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies (UTIAS), successfully completed autonomous lunar surface demonstrations at the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) in Montreal, Quebec and we are over the moon with our rover’s performance. These demonstrations were part of the Lunar Surface Exploration Initiative (LSEI), a CSA initiative to develop and advance concepts for Canada’s next large contribution to NASA’s Artemis program which seeks to establish a sustainable human presence on the surface of the Moon.

Kicking the demo off on the 52nd anniversary of the Apollo 17 Moon landing, Lisa Campbell (President of the CSA), David Saint-Jacques (CSA Astronaut), Mike Greenley (MDA Space CEO), and the CSA team attended our virtual and augmented reality presentation. This VR demo, prepared by the MDA Space Dynamic Robotic Emulation and Mixed Reality (DREAMR) Lab, showcased our flight concept for the LSEI rover, providing participants with a close-up and detailed perspective. The MDA Space team also completed a short cargo drop-off demonstration where attendees got a unique behind-the-scenes look at the rover’s operations through a simulated MDA Space mission control centre and live LiDAR point cloud map of the demo room.

On day two, the “Rover Squad” made up of MDA Space, CTA and UTIAS braved the cold to tackle the CSA’s analogue terrain for another cargo logistics demonstration for the CSA’s rover program team. The analogue terrain, complete with rock beds and craters, is a simulated environment of the Moon’s complex surface and is used to thoroughly test rovers in realistic off-Earth conditions.

Equipped with an MDA SKYMAKER™ robotic arm, the LSEI rover performed complex key lunar operations such as autonomously handling cargo and transporting it from a prototype lander to a prototype habitat. These operations, such as transferring cargo, performing scientific investigations, and supporting astronauts during lunar surface spacewalks, are critical for building and sustaining a habitat on the Moon. With the setting sun, the rover worked flawlessly in the biting cold of a Canadian winter evening under the shadows of a CSA solar simulator, mirroring the harsh, two Earth-week long lunar nights.

Having supported the LSEI initiative for the last two years with our partners CTA and UTIAS, it was a rewarding moment to showcase our evolving lunar rover logistics capabilities as we continue to advance technologies for future lunar missions - and humanity’s first return to the Moon since Apollo 17.

Congratulations to all participants from CSA, CTA, UTIAS and MDA Space on this achievement!

Contributing Authors: Jivan Malhi & Devan Wagner