NASA launches Lunar Autonomy Challenge for US Students

NASA launches Lunar Autonomy Challenge for US Students
by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 11, 2024

NASA, in collaboration with several partners, has introduced the Lunar Autonomy Challenge, a competition for U.S. college and university students aimed at honing their software development skills in a virtual lunar environment. Participating teams will create an autonomous agent that can perform pre-set tasks on a simulated version of the Moon's surface without human assistance. The agents will control a digital twin of NASA's ISRU Pilot Excavator (IPEx), a robotic system designed for collecting and transporting lunar soil known as regolith.

Autonomous systems are essential for space exploration, allowing spacecraft and robots to operate with minimal contact with astronauts or ground control. These systems must undergo extensive virtual testing before being deployed, particularly for missions like NASA's Artemis program, which will take astronauts back to the Moon. Virtual simulations provide a safe, risk-reducing environment to evaluate both hardware and software functionality in a range of scenarios.

Students participating in the challenge will use the same simulation tools developed by Caterpillar Inc., leveraging decades of research. The competition will require teams to manage the IPEx twin's sensors, map surface elevations, and identify obstacles. Energy management, terrain hazards, and low-light conditions, much like real-world lunar environments, will be factors that teams must overcome during the competition.

Eligibility
Teams must consist of at least four undergraduate or graduate students from a U.S. college or university, with a faculty advisor.

Challenge Timeline and Structure
The challenge runs from November 2024 to May 2025 and consists of two rounds. Teams must apply by Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024.

- Round 1: Selected teams will develop and train their autonomous agent in virtual environments, submitting their work three times for scoring in a qualification round.

- Round 2: Top-performing teams will refine their agents and have additional opportunities to compete. The top three teams will be declared the winners.

Prizes
- First Place: $10,000
- Second Place: $5,000
- Third Place: $3,000

For more information, including detailed guidelines and application requirements, visit the challenge website at https://lunar-autonomy-challenge.jhuapl.edu/Challenge-Information/index.php#how-to-apply. Applications are due by Nov. 7, 2024, through the NASA STEM Gateway.

The Lunar Autonomy Challenge is managed by NASA in partnership with The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), Caterpillar Inc., and Embodied AI. APL oversees the challenge for NASA.