Five petite Mexican-made robots will land on the moon later this year, in June 2022. This makes up part of a scientific mission called the Colmena project, which plans to take accurate environmental measurements of the extraterrestrial body.

The mission of these small, two-wheeled robots is to take “sophisticated measurements” according to Games4You. Mexico’s National Autonomous University (UNAM) developed the robots that will catch a ride on a United Launch Alliance Vulcan Rocket. If that’s okay with Spock.

This trip is 386,000km in distance, and will be handled by the US firm, Astrobic Technology. They will take specific measurements and gather lunar materials which could help in future space-mining projects. According to sources, the nano robots work in sync like a swarm of bees.

More moon measurements

The robots are made from stainless steel, titanium alloys and space-grade aluminium. During their month-long mission, the nanobots will take — for the first time in history — lunar plasma temperature, electromagnetic and regolith particle size measurements.

“This is a small mission where we’ll test the concept, and afterwards we’ll undertake other missions, first to the moon and then on to asteroids,” says Gustavo Medina Tanco, a UNAM scientist from the Colmena project. The project’s contributors are made up of about 200 engineering, physics, math and chemistry students.

“We can make a difference in the technology and for international cooperation that can then lead to important joint ventures to study the minerals or undertake other scientific exploration,” details Medina Tanco.

Project Colmena is scheduled to launch in June on the Astrobotic’s Peregrine lander.

Source: Reuters