Mission

SCORPIUS (based on the similarity from a scorpion’s tail and a robotic arm on our rover) will be the first Rover project of STA. We aim to compete in the ERC (European Rover Challenge) in Kielce, Poland, where students from all over the world participate.
The rover itself shall be a standalone, mobile platform, weighing no more than 75 kg and be capable of operating in manual mode as well as in full-autonomous mode. Additionally, our rover will have to operate in moderate to harsh weather conditions and tough hills and terrains.

Avionics

Our project is divided in 3 main teams: avionics, software and structure.
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The avionics team has the task to develop all necessary electronic features of the rover. In order to achieve our mission goals, we have various subsystems whereby each plays an important role: Electrical Power System (EPS), Communication System (COM), On-Board Data Handling (OBDH) and Ground Station (GST).
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The “EPS” features a sophisticated battery protection and provides the power to all actuators and motors.
The “COM” is responsible for sending and receiving data from the “GST”.
The “OBDH” processes all sensor data, saves it accordingly and forwards it to the “COM”.
The “GST” can remotely control the rover and is constantly processing data received from the rover.

Software

The software team has the responsibility for implementing all the software components of the rover, for example: locomotion, switching between autonomous and manual modes, imaging and vision systems, communication with the ground systems, etc.
Some of the important functions to be realized with the help of the software:
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Controlling the locomotion of the rover and control the end effector of the rover, to handle objects and drilling tasks.
Perceive and process imaging data from the rover imaging and vision systems.
Enable full autonomous as well as manual operation of the rover.
Enable communication of the rover with the ground systems.
Give display lamp output based on different modes of rover.

Mechanics

The mechanical team of the rover deals with the mechanical implementation of certain operations of the rover. The team is divided into four subsystems:
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The frame subsystem has the main task of constructing the torso of the rover so that all components are connected, and the electronic units find their place. It is therefore a kind of basic framework that supports the other links of the rover.
The locomotion subsystem is responsible for developing a system for locomotion on rough terrain so that the rover can overcome obstacles. A mechanism has to be developed to keep the rover stable on rough terrain and enable it to move forward.
The drilling unit has the task of developing a system that can create a 30 cm deep hole and take and store soil samples from this hole. Care must be taken not to contaminate the samples.
The main task of the manipulator system is to interface with a control panel so that the rover can operate switches, measure voltages and take samples. It is therefore the 'arm' of the rover with which it can work.

MISSION

SCORPIUS (based on the similarity from a scorpion’s tail and a robotic arm on our rover) will be the first Rover-Project of STA. We aim to compete in the ERC (European Rover Challenge) in September 2024 in Kielce, Poland, where students from all over the world participate. Our project is -mainly- following NASA’s review process: until the end of WS23, our project will undergo a “PDR” (preliminary design review), a “CDR” (critical design review) and a readiness review. Eventually we are going to test our rover on a Mars-imitating testbed, where it will undergo the ERC’s challenges and tasks.
The rover itself shall be a standalone, mobile platform, weighing no more than 75 kg and be capable of operating in manual mode as well as in full-autonomous mode. Additionally, our rover will have to operate in moderate to harsh weather conditions and tough hills and terrains.

Join us

Consisting of members from different countries and multiple scientific and engineering fields, our team is a colorful mix of inspired students, who are eager to collaborate in a complex, interdisciplinary project and pursue a great technical adventure!
If you are interested in joining our team and help us to build the best Mars rover, feel free to apply!

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SCORPIUS

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Avionics

Software

Mechanics

MISSION

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