The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has been appointed by the China National Space Administration (CNSA) to guide the worldwide “Hong Kong Operation Robot” undertaking for the Chang’E-8 mission. The undertaking will unite international aerospace students and consultants to develop a multi-functional lunar floor operation robotic. Equipped with a cellular charging station and able to dexterous operations, the robotic is designed to make important contributions to the nation’s lunar exploration missions.
To help this worldwide endeavor, the HKSAR Government has established the Hong Kong Space Robotics and Energy Center (HKSREC) underneath the InnoHK analysis clusters. HKSREC will spearhead the undertaking, fostering cross-institutional and cross-regional collaboration. Under the management of HKUST, the “Hong Kong Operation Robot” will likely be developed in partnership with tutorial and analysis establishments in Hong Kong, the Chinese Mainland, and abroad. This initiative goals to drive cutting-edge innovation throughout all the aerospace know-how lifecycle-from conceptualization, analysis and growth, and manufacturing to testing, and system integration.
As a part of the fourth part of China’s lunar exploration program, the Chang’E-8 probe is scheduled for launch round 2029. Its mission is to advance the institution of the longer term International Lunar Research Station. The spacecraft will land on the lunar south pole with a set of worldwide floor robots, together with the “Hong Kong Operation Robot”, to conduct scientific analysis. This robotic, designed by HKUST’s interdisciplinary groups, will play a crucial position in working inside the Moon’s excessive setting, demonstrating unprecedented efficiency, precision, and capabilities.
HKUST Vice-President for Research and Development Prof. Tim CHENG Kwang-Ting remarked, “China’s aerospace sector is advancing with extraordinary momentum and has achieved globally recognized milestones in deep space exploration. Capitalizing on its unique position of being ‘backed by the motherland and connected to the world,’ along with its robust scientific research capabilities, Hong Kong is actively advancing the development of aerospace science and technology and bolstering the space economy. Through participation in the Chang’E-8 mission through HKSREC and the project ‘Monitoring Greenhouse Gas Emission Point Sources from the China Space Station,’ funded under the Innovation and Technology Support Program Special Call on Aerospace Technology, HKUST is contributing to the international growth of China’s aerospace program. By leveraging its research strengths in areas such as AI, robotics, materials science, and thermal engineering, HKUST is facilitating the translation and practical application of aerospace research outcomes. These efforts will not only elevate Hong Kong’s global competitiveness in aerospace technology but also strengthen its role as an international hub for innovation and technology, while generating meaningful economic impact.”
The undertaking is led by Prof. GAO Yang, an internationally famend professional in house robotics, Director of the Hong Kong Space Robotics and Energy Centre (HKSREC), Director of the HKUST Centre for AI Robotics in Space Sustainability (CAIRSS), Co-Director of the Space Science and Technology Institute, and Professor within the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. Prof. Gao is designing the robotic’s “operational brain.” Equipped with twin robotic arms-a international first in deep house exploration-the robotic will likely be able to deploying and putting in devices, amassing lunar floor samples, and extra.
After the Chang’E-8 probe lands, the robotic will transport different devices or sensors to their designated places. The Moon’s South Pole presents a novel and difficult panorama, characterised by rugged terrain, affect craters of various sizes and drastic elevation modifications. Deep craters freeze in billion-year-old shade, whereas mountain ridges are bathed in perpetual daylight. The robotic should be able to real-time notion of the lunar terrain, autonomous path planning and optimization, and operation underneath excessive temperature fluctuations with out satellite tv for pc navigation help. These situations pose important design challenges.
To handle them, HKUST’s analysis workforce is creating an AI-powered operational framework that permits the robotic to perform safely all through the mission. This software-defined structure integrates machine studying with floor stations and the robotic itself, dynamically adjusting autonomy ranges based mostly on real-time situations to realize unprecedented situational consciousness and adaptableness. Whether via Earth-based AI-enhanced distant imaginative and prescient processing or totally autonomous onboard 3D mapping and visual-inertial navigation, the robotic maintains an optimum steadiness between effectivity, pace, and unwavering security.
Prof. Gao remarked, “I am honored to lead this national mission with outstanding teams from Hong Kong, the Chinese Mainland, and overseas through HKUST and HKSREC. This reflects HKUST’s recognized strengths in research and international project coordination, as well as our commitment to advancing the nation’s aerospace endeavors. The HKSREC will build Hong Kong’s foundational capabilities in aerospace technology while cultivating high-caliber talent. As an interdisciplinary field, aerospace technology will enable the HKSREC to not only elevate Hong Kong’s expertise in aerospace research and engineering but also generate significant impact across industries such as AI, robotics, computer science, microelectronics, and communications.”
Prof. DUAN Molong, a robotics management professional and core member of the HKSREC, is accountable for creating the robotic’s manipulation methods. He additionally serves as Associate Director of Center for Smart Manufacturing and Assistant Professor of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at HKUST. He outlined the undertaking’s main challenges: “The lunar environment-characterized by extreme temperature, radiation, pervasive dust, and computational and power limitations-presents significant challenges to traditional manipulation techniques.” His workforce’s dual-arm robotic system will allow exact pattern acquisition and payload deployment, remodeling the robotic right into a cellular manipulation and repair platform poised to contribute to lunar science and infrastructure growth.
Prof. SHI Ling, an professional in robotic path planning and a core member of the HKSREC, emphasised the crucial want for seamless integration between the robotic’s mobility and management methods. He holds joint appointments as Associate Director of HKUST-DJI Joint Innovation Laboratory and the Space Science and Technology Institute and is a Professor in each the Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering and the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at HKUST. “True autonomous operation requires intelligent, task-oriented decision-making under strict constraints,” he acknowledged. His workforce is creating a hierarchical planning system to optimize process prioritization and path effectivity, enabling the robotic to adapt to unexpected obstacles and reply to rising scientific wants in real-time, thereby maximizing operational effectivity throughout every lunar day.
Addressing the Moon’s excessive temperature fluctuations-which swing from +120°C to -180°C-is Prof. Walter WANG Zhe, a thermal management system professional and a core member of the HKSREC. He additionally serves as Associate Director of the GREAT Smart Cities Institute and Associate Professor of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at HKUST. “My team is developing a sophisticated thermal management system using advanced materials and controlled fluid loops to maintain the robot’s core components within a safe operating temperature range throughout the lunar day and night,” he stated.
Prof. SUN Qingping, Chair Professor of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at HKUST, is contributing an progressive experimental payload to validate next-generation thermal administration applied sciences within the house setting. “Testing new materials and cooling strategies in the actual lunar environment is crucial for future, extended lunar missions,” he defined. These experiments will present crucial information for creating thermal management methods for future lunar and deep house exploration.
The Hong Kong Operation Robot represents a major leap ahead in lunar exploration know-how and underscores HKUST’s world-class analysis capabilities. The HKUST-led collaborative effort, involving over 100 interdisciplinary researchers from world wide, is poised to solidify Hong Kong’s pivotal position within the nation’s aerospace missions. It showcases the highly effective convergence of clever operation, precision management, adaptive planning, and resilient engineering, pushing the boundaries of human exploration on the Moon.