China Developing Robots for Mars, Asteroid and Space Station Missions

GAZA SPACE AND TECHNOLOGY -- China is developing a large family of robots for both its crewed and uncrewed space programs, according to a senior official with the country's space agency.

Professor Tian Yulong, secretary-general of the China National Space Administration, told state media at a major symposium on Artificial Intelligence and Automation in Space in Beijing that the country is drawing up a long-term plan for the development of space robots.

"They will consist of Mars rovers, asteroid explorers, robotic arms and service robots that can help maintain and repair an in-orbit space station, space laboratories and satellites," Tian said.

China will make its first independent attempt to send an unmanned probe to orbit and land on Mars in 2020, and also has ambitious outlines to return samples from asteroids and other deep space missions.

That plans are being made for robotics to support these missions suggests the projects are likely to go forward in the 2020s.

China's Chang'e-4 lunar mission, which will attempt the world's first landing on the far side of the Moon in 2018, is one project that will benefit from the developments sooner.

"I think the robotics technology is priority for our project. We developed some new technologies in moon surface detecting," Tian said, adding that, "more efforts will be made to develop advanced robots with higher automation to meet the needs of our deep-space exploration programs".

Gianfranco Visentin, head of the automation and robotics section of the European Space Research and Technology Centre, said the European space community is actively cooperating with China and the two sides are enhancing collaboration in space robotics and lunar exploration, China Daily reported.

More