As a globally connected Australian space research centre, the University of Adelaide’s Andy Thomas Centre for Space Resources (ATCSR) continues to engage with space-focused companies, government agencies and research organisations around the world. The ATCSR is involved in a broad range of research, commercial and educational initiatives, all with the mission of enabling long term human habitation of deep space and contributing to the return of humans to the Moon and on to Mars.
Artemis III
The University of Adelaide is proud to be partners in the development of two of the three scientific instruments to be deployed on the surface of the moon during Artemis III. The ATCSR is supporting Professor Hirdy Miyamoto at the University of Tokyo and JAXA with the testing and development of a Lunar Dielectric Analyser (LDA), an instrument designed to measure the regolith’s ability to propagate an electric field. The LDA will help in the search for volatiles such as ice in lunar regolith and will be tested in the University’s Extraterrestrial Environmental Simulation (Exterres) Laboratories.
Through the Australian Research Council’s Centre of Excellence in Plants for Space (P4S), the University of Adelaide is also supporting Space Lab Technologies with their Lunar Effects on Agricultural Flora (LEAF) experiment. LEAF will examine the lunar surface environment’s effect on space crops including plant photosynthesis, growth, responses in space-radiation and partial gravity. Results from LEAF will pave the way for designing future crops for the Moon and Mars.
New facilities for space research
In March 2024, the University of Adelaide’s newest addition to its Exterres Laboratories, the Exterres Analogue Facility opened. The new facility is a 4,000m² open-field robotic testbed, operations centre and workshop facility, designed to provide a complete solution for scaled to full-sized rover testing and development. Located 50mins north of Adelaide at the University’s Roseworthy Campus, the new facility offers testing and development scenarios across a range of simulated off-Earth environments and settings, including investigations in human-robot teaming and robotic perception.
Australian Rover Challenge – ARCh 2024
The Exterres Analogue Facility is also the official new home of the Australian Rover Challenge (ARCh) with the facility’s opening doubling as the official launch of ARCh 2024. A record ten teams competed in the new arena with Project Scorpio, Wrocław University of Science and Technology, Poland taking top honours. The ARCh will return 27 – 30 March 2025 with the planning for new fields, tasks and student events already underway.
Space Resource Fundamentals
To help industry professionals, government representatives and researchers understand the rapidly evolving space industry, particularly beyond Earth’s orbit, the ATCSR is offering a five-day intensive short course – Space Resource Fundamentals. The course offers insights into in-situ resource utilisation, off-Earth civil engineering and construction, as well as the evolving space legal environment and the emerging fields of deep space psychology, agriculture and manufacturing. Space Resource Fundamentals will be held 28 October – 1 November 2024 and more information can be found on the University of Adelaide’s Professional and Continuing Education (PACE) website pace.adelaide.edu.au.
To find out more about the ATCSR, the ARCh or the Exterres Laboratories, visit the centre website at: https://set.adelaide.edu.au/atcsr
Image ARCh 2024 teams, sponsors and supporting staff at the new Exterres Analogue Facility.
