Students from the University of Virginia's Mechatronics and Robotics Society (MARS) are participating in NASA's Lunabotics Challenge, developing an 80-pound robot designed to mine lunar soil and construct protective barriers for future Artemis missions. The robot is engineered to operate in simulated lunar conditions, efficiently excavating regolith and building berms that can shield infrastructure and cryogenic propellants on the moon. Craig Kalkwarf, the team’s senior mechanical lead, emphasized the importance of these capabilities for protecting launch areas and insulating stored materials.

The lunar regolith presents unique challenges, behaving differently than Earth sand, which complicates excavation efforts. The team originally designed two robots but ultimately selected a single robot that demonstrated superior performance during tests. They conducted trials on a beach volleyball court while awaiting the completion of a dedicated testing facility funded by an $86,000 grant. The students are optimistic about their robot's performance, predicting it could score twice as high as last year's top team. Following the competition, Kalkwarf plans to work at NASA's imaging lab at Kennedy Space Center, focusing on analyzing launch footage for Artemis missions.