Rover Team

ARES is proud to have established its rover team, the Unimelb Rover Team (URT).

Australian Rover Challenge

The rover team is in its inaugural year and is currently working on its first rover, an entry into the Australian Rover Challenge (ARC). The ARC is modelled off the University Rover Challenge (URC) held in the United States.

Hosted by the University of Adelaide in partnership with the South Australian Space Industry Centre (SASIC) and supported by the Australian Space Agency (ASA) and SmartSAT CRC, the ARC gives an opportunity for university students to get hands-on experience in the Australian space sector.

Throughout the challenge, students will be assisted and mentored by industry and government partners.

Rover entries have to complete a variety of tasks, including semi-autonomous and autonomous tasks. Alongside the completion of tasks, entries will be judged by industry and academia for the quality and innovativeness of their designs.

The team

To aid in developing a capable entry that addresses all required tasks, the rover team is split into the following subsystem teams:

• Robotic arm subsystem team.
• Electrical subsystem team.
• Chassis subsystem team.
• Science payload subsystem team.
• Software subsystem team.
• Media and Marketing team.

Future aspirations

After our inaugural rover competes in the ARC, we will hold a performance review to decide the direction of the team. Possible future projects include entries into future ARC’s or entering into international competitions such as the Universities Rover Challenge.