Publication
LuNiS: Experimental Validation of an AI-Enabled Micro-Rover for Future Lunar Missions with Night Survival Capability
Mehmed Yüksel; Wiebke Brinkmann; Hilmi Dogu Kücüker; Zhongqian Zhao; Jakob Wehnes; Jonas Eisenmenger; Leon Spies; Joel Gützlaff; Markus Czupalla
In: 77th International Astronautical Congress. International Astronautical Congress (IAC-2026), located at Moon Exploration - Part 3, October 5-9, Antalya, Turkey, IAF, 2026.
Abstract
Micro-rovers represent a promising class of robotic systems for future lunar exploration missions. Such platforms
can offer a cost-effective and economically scalable solution that enables reduced mission expenditure. At the same
time, they maintain versatile surface-operation capabilities in constrained environments while remaining lightweight
and compact. Within the joint research project SAMLER-KI, a Lunar micro rover for Night Survival called LuNiS is
under development and can be used for future lunar exploration tasks. The project comprises three rover variants and
explores three complementary perspectives addressing the development of a complex micro-rover system: a virtual
model, representing LuNiS as a space variant equipped with space-qualified components; the LuNiS Demonstration
Model (DM), serving as the terrestrial testbed; and the LuNiS thermal model (TM), a thermal rover designed for
environmental testing. The LuNiS-DM, developed by the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI),
enables the validation of subsystems, software architectures, and artificial intelligence components through a variety of
field and laboratory experiments. The LuNiS-TM, developed by FH Aachen University of Applied Sciences, undergoes
extensive testing in a thermal vacuum chamber to evaluate the thermal design concept and to validate the underlying
thermal modelling and simulations. Insights and results obtained from both rover platforms are fed directly into the
design and validation process of the space variant, supporting the optimization of its thermal resilience and operational
survivability during the lunar night. This paper presents the design and testing methodologies of DM and TM, and
illustrates how their results contribute to the development of the final LuNiS space variant for robust lunar surface
operation.
