This summer, astronauts aboard the International Space Station directed a team of advanced robots through a simulated martian terrain in Germany, concluding the fourth and final session of ESA and DLR's Surface Avatar experiment. The collaborative initiative between the European Space Agency and the German Aerospace Center aims to develop robotic control techniques for future lunar and martian e by Erica Marchand
Paris, France (SPX) Aug 06, 2025
This summer, astronauts aboard the International Space Station directed a team of advanced robots through a simulated martian terrain in Germany, concluding the fourth and final session of ESA and DLR's Surface Avatar experiment. The collaborative initiative between the European Space Agency and the German Aerospace Center aims to develop robotic control techniques for future lunar and martian exploration.
The latest session featured unprecedented levels of complexity and robot autonomy. NASA astronaut Jonny Kim simultaneously operated two robots: ESA's quadruped Spot and DLR's humanoid Rollin' Justin. Spot traversed the rocky test environment autonomously, while Justin was maneuvered using a blend of direct teleoperation and pre-programmed commands. This setup enabled Jonny to prioritize strategic decision-making while allowing the robots to handle lower-level tasks independently.
A second mission scenario showcased ESA's Interact rover transporting DLR's robot dog Bert to a cave simulation. After clearing an entry path, Jonny deployed Bert, which then feigned a leg malfunction. In response, he retrained the robot's walking algorithm in real time, allowing it to resume its exploration and identify indications of frozen water. The trial evaluated real-time problem-solving and adaptive robotic behavior during unexpected mission challenges.
All robots were commanded using a purpose-built control system developed by ESA and DLR. This dual-mode interface combines a joystick and haptic-feedback controller, allowing operators to switch between immersive first-person views and strategic top-down maps. This adaptable setup supports efficient multi-robot operations and seamless transitions between direct control and autonomous oversight.
Across its four sessions, Surface Avatar has significantly advanced human-robot collaboration techniques. The findings help delineate which operations astronauts prefer to manage directly and which can be effectively delegated to intelligent robotic systems, providing key insights for future crewed exploration missions on the Moon and Mars.
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