Australia is planning to massively scale up its space industry in the next decade, including sending a rover to the Moon – potentially as early as 2026. To meet these goals, we’ll need the tools to develop and test technology that works in space.
Australia’s Seven Sisters project will also be supporting NASA’s Artemis project, which aims to land astronauts on the moon in 2024.
At the University of Adelaide, a new lab has been built that simulates extraterrestrial environments, including the regolith lunar surface.
We went behind the scenes at the Extraterrestrial Environmental Simulation – Exterres – Laboratory to meet the makers, researchers and rovers testing tech for space exploration.
Interviewees:
Associate Professor John Culton – Director, Andy Thomas Centre for Space Resources, University of Adelaide
Associate Professor Rini Akmeliawati – School of Mechanical Engineering, University of Adelaide
Dr David Harvey – Director Digital and Systems Engineering, School of Mechanical Engineering
Kevin Farries – Associate Lecturer, School of Civil, Environmental and Mining Engineering, University of Adelaide
Abigail Sparnon – Project Lead, Adelaide Rover Team, University of Adelaide