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AGH UST students on the podiums of international competitions in the USA

AGH UST students on the podiums of international competitions in the USA
student projects awards

The Martian rover Kalman, constructed by students from AGH Space Systems, came fourth in the prestigious University Rover Challenge 2022 in a desert in Utah, USA. Its autonomous ride and science mission left the competition far behind. At the same time, in a different part of the United States, the Over the Dusty Moon Challenge concluded, organised by the Colorado School of Mines, which brought SpaceTeam AGH the second place.

AGH Space Systems

During the last decisive day of competition at the Mars Desert Research Station, the Martian rover Kalman dived into the Science Mission task that relied on the unaided collection of designated soil samples by the robot and then scanning them for life signs. Kalman, using its on-board laboratory, completed the entire mission flawlessly, receiving a score of 100/100 points. The general classification also shows that no other team could beat the mark of 84/100 points. Due to these results, the AGH UST team made it to the forefront of the competition, simultaneously being the highest-ranked team in Europe. Finally, out of 36 teams that qualified to the final of the University Rover Challenge 2022, AGH Space Systems was placed fourth in the world and first in Europe. The AGH UST students managed to successfully outperform teams from Great Britain, Turkey, India, and Poland. Other universities from Poland that participated in the competition included: Wroclaw University of Technology, Kielce University of Technology, and Czestochowa University of Technology.

Students on a desert with flags of the AGH UST, Poland, and the United States of America.

The results of the last task is one of the greatest achievements of the team.
'Despite the fact that we didn’t reach the podium, we’re extremely motivated to continue our work, because we see the amazing effects it’s brought us so far', the students emphasise.

This year’s first three places were snatched by teams from the USA. The general classification looks like this: first place: Michigan Mars Rover Team – MRover (University of Michigan, USA); second place: Monash Nova Rover (Monash University, Australia); third place: Missouri S&T Mars Rover Design Team (Missouri S&T, the USA).

The challenges faced by the teams in the Utah desert included demonstrating the agility of the rover arm and performing a simulated mission in which the machine assists astronauts in their work by lifting, transporting, and delivering tools or rocks in diverse terrain, full of surprises, prepared specifically for this competition.

SpaceTeam AGH

At the same time, in a different part of the United States, the first Over the Dusty Moon Challenge took place, organised by the Colorado School of Mines. The competition relied on developing an innovative system for regolith transport. The solution was supposed to be highly resistant to the harsh conditions on the Moon, that is, lack of atmosphere, 1/6th of Earth’s gravity, extremely low temperatures and, not least, the dusty quality of the material in question, the regolith. The team from Poland, represented by SpaceTeam AGH, faced five other teams from the USA, Canada, Australia, and Germany. Ultimately, the TOLRECON project came second in the competition. Therefore, the AGH UST representation climbed the podium as the best team from Europe.

Students holding a long tube above their heads.

The system of elevators for regolith transport proposed by the AGH UST students has been under construction for several months. The solution definitely has the potential for improvement and use in the space engineering sector.

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