Lunar Zebro and TNO join forces to pave the way to the Moon
Lunar Zebro, an ambitious team at TU Delft will work together with TNO (The Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research) to build the lightest and smallest Moon rover to date. The partnership gives an opportunity to experts on both sides to collaboratively strive for impactful innovation, share research facilities and technical expertise, and bolster university- industry collaboration in a bid to achieve this.
Smaller, simpler, and lower costs
Lunar Zebro is the first of its kind technology demonstration mission, built entirely by students, which will put the Netherlands and Europe at the forefront of lunar exploration. The rover boasts of a unique locomotion system employing C-shaped legs, which affords the rover the least chance of getting stuck, and thus the ability to survive tough terrains. The rover distinguishes itself due to its small size and light weight, its relative simplicity, and lower cost compared to other interplanetary rovers.
As the first Dutch rover to land on the Moon, Lunar Zebro will enhance our understanding of the lunar environment and aid scientists in the development of Moon instruments. It increases the visibility of the Dutch space ecosystem on the global platform and carries within it immense potential for several spin-off businesses for the space & robotics industry. A student-built robot on the Moon makes the Dutch universities more attractive for students by offering them opportunities for hands-on experience in the design and operations of a space mission. Finally, the Lunar Zebro project serves the space market by providing students trained in flight-ready space hardware.
Swarming
The long-term goal of the Lunar Zebro project is to deploy a decentralized swarm of rovers where each rover works autonomously within the collective. Swarming has immense potential in space applications, such as building a radio telescope on the far side of the moon using a swarm of Zebros called LUFAR (Lunar Low Frequency Antennas for Radio Astronomy). Terrestrial applications of the Zebro swarm include areas such as search and rescue, exploration and mapping, task allocation, etc.
Bridge between university and industry
This partnership brings to Lunar Zebro TNO’s technical critique on space system design and concept of operations, and a vast pool of practical knowledge on Assembly, Integration and Testing activities. This bridge between university and industry closes the gap between research and application and aims to deliver a product that generates immense value for the scientific community.
TNO has been involved in space projects of TU Delft before. The Delfi C3 and Delfi N3xt were bold initiatives by TU Delft to create unique technology for space applications and were brought to fruition with the crucial input of its partner, TNO. Chris Verhoeven, Project Director of Lunar Zebro sums up the current collaboration in his words: “With this project, old friends meet again. Together we can make dreams come true.” And this statement is strengthened by Kees Buijsrogge, Director Space and Scientific Instrumentation at TNO: “We at TNO Space are very happy and proud to contribute to this very important and inspiring project. We wish the TU Delft team all the best in this great endeavor!”
Contact us
-
Ton Maree
Functie:Senior Business Developer Earth ObservationResponsible for business development and managing the R&D investment portfolio for Earth Observation (EO) technologies. Here he focuses on establishing new partnerships with governments and industry, and to open new global markets for TNO's earth observation innovations.
-
Standplaats:Delft - Stieltjesweg
-
Telefoon:888661239
-
Email:Email Ton
-
LinkedIn:Ton on LinkedIn
-
Get inspired
Satellite instrument OMI orbits Earth for 100,000th time
This week, the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) reaches a milestone: 100,000 orbits of Earth. This is extra special because the monitoring instrument was originally designed for a six-year mission after its launch in 2004. OMI has since been monitoring atmospheric emissions and the ozone hole for more than 18 years, which has provided a lot of useful data. This enabled TNO, for instance, to measure the effects of stricter air quality policies in European countries.
Jan Nijenhuis appointed Knight in the Order of the Lion of the Netherlands
Jan Nijenhuis Knight has been appointed Knight in the Order of the Lion of the Netherlands. This royal appointment is an acknowledgement of his ground-breaking research in the field of opto-mechatronics. Today, Jan received the decorations that go with this award from Marja van Bijsterveldt, mayor of the city of Delft.
Norwegian satellite with SmallCAT laser communication system aboard, successfully launched
Norway's NorSat Technology Demonstrator has been successfully launched by the Norwegian Space Agency from SpaceX in California. The NorSat-TD satellite carries several payloads, including the SmallCAT laser communication system, which was developed by TNO-led consortium to enhance data transmission capabilities of small satellites using direct-to-earth laser communication. SmallCAT will be tested in orbit over the next few months by connecting with the optical ground station at a TNO location in The Hague.
TNO-led Dutch consortium to develop HemiCAT laser communication terminal
TNO will begin developing a laser communication terminal with a consortium of Dutch partners. This high-efficiency miniature demonstrator called HemiCAT will increase data transmission capabilities of small satellites via direct to earth laser communication.
FSO Instruments introduces laser satellite communications to the market
The Dutch technology developers and producers, Demcon and VDL Groep, are combining their laser satellite communication activities in FSO instruments. This is the first laser satellite communication technology company to be founded in the Netherlands and builds onto the groundbreaking technology developed by the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) in cooperation with companies, including Demcon and VDL.
