During this 21-month contract Mission Control will develop an Autonomous Soil Assessment System for planetary rovers with the eventual objective of deploying the technology on a planetary exploration mission.

Mission Control Space Services Inc., a technology development company and consultancy in the space sector, today announced it has signed a contract with the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) for the development of an Autonomous Soil Assessment System (ASAS) for planetary rovers.  The technology was identified by the CSA as a priority for enhancement as part of their mission roadmap.  Mission Control is tasked with advancing the technology from Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 2 to TRL 4 with the eventual objective of deploying this technology on a planetary exploration mission.

The ASAS technology is intended to enable real-time forward soil characterization and trafficability assessment for detection of unknown soil hazards that could immobilise a planetary rover.  “We are very pleased to have been selected to advance this exciting technology.  On future missions the ability for rovers to autonomously plan safe driving routes through hazardous terrain will be critical to mission success,” said Ewan Reid, President and CEO of Mission Control.  “With the recent successes of planetary science missions, whether it is imaging Pluto and its moon, finding evidence of flowing water on Mars or successfully landing on an asteroid - we see a lot of potential for this type of technology on future missions,” adds Dr. Michele Faragalli, Manager of Space Exploration and Advanced Technologies at Mission Control.

The project will last 21 months and will culminate with a demonstration of the technology at a planetary analogue terrain.

About Mission Control, www.missioncontrolspaceservices.com 

Mission Control was established to facilitate Canadian contributions to the world’s emerging space economy. Their emphasis is in the space exploration/robotics sectors, but they put their expertise to work wherever and however organizations are trying to operate in space – including here on Earth! With a focus on innovation and commercialization, Mission Control strives to generate commercial opportunities in both the space and terrestrial arenas. The Mission Control leadership team is comprised of experts with experience in the domains of spaceflight operations, advanced sensor systems and robotics, planetary mobility, planetary science, astrobiology, management consulting and innovation