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Qualifying Space Exploration Project ‘AUTONOMY’ Developed in Collaboration with Clarkson University and The Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology

An Aerospace Engineering student team from Khalifa University in collaboration with Clarkson University, US, and the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Australia, has been shortlisted as one of the finalists in the ‘AI-Powered Self-Replicating Probe’ category, in the 2024 Revolutionary Aerospace Systems Concepts – Academic Linkage (RASC-AL) competition, NASA’s longest running and most prestigious annual student challenge. This marks the first time a team from the Arab region has achieved such a milestone.

Other finalists include teams from universities, such as Stanford, MIT, Virginia Tech, Maryland, and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Studying new metal-rich asteroids and testing novel technology crucial for future autonomous space programs is the focus of the ‘Augmented Unmanned Technology Operating in Navigating Objects of Mining Yield’ (AUTONOMY) project, which includes a team of 12 students and four faculty advisors. Led by Ahmed Alhammadi from the Aerospace Engineering program, include Meweal Afeworki, Noora AlAli, Ahmad Al Omari, Bushra Alzadjali, Hessa Alqattan, and Mohammed Al Haddad. Dr. Roberto Sabatini, Professor, and Dr. Alessandro Gardi, Assistant Professor, are faculty advisors.

The finalist team received a US$6,500 stipend to further develop their research. Technical papers and their concepts will be presented at the final round on 9 to 12 June 2024 during the RASC-AL Forum in Cocoa Beach, Florida, to a judging panel of NASA and industry experts. The teams with the top two winning papers will be invited to present their design projects to industry experts at AIAA’s 2024 ASCEND Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, from 30 July to 1 August.

The AUTONOMY project combines a large satellite with a swarm of autonomous probes to explore and harvest asteroid materials. Equipped with advanced hardware and software, the scouting probes – 38 kg each, with spectrometers, IR imagers, cameras, and 2-meter solar panels – perform surface mapping, shape analysis, and gravitational and magnetic field modeling. 

The harvesting probes, which are expected to mine, refine, and transport resources on asteroids, will use 3D printers for manufacturing, and robotic arms for maintenance. The project aims to launch on 12 December 2029, aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, and will use a gravitational slingshot around Mars to reach the asteroid belt. The process also involves transporting materials from the asteroids back to the mothership, ultimately returning valuable data to Earth. 

Dr. Roberto Sabatini said: “Having taught courses on aerospace systems for many years, I have always been inspired by our students’ dedication to astronautics and space engineering. Last year, when the opportunity to compete in RASC-AL 2024 arose, our students immediately embraced the challenge, collaborating with colleagues from the US and Australia. The team faced numerous challenges throughout the project, which they overcame with exceptional determination and resilience. I am thrilled that our team has been selected as a finalist in such a competitive field.”

The NASA RASC-AL competition, organized by NASA Headquarters and the US National Institute of Aerospace (NIA), challenges collegiate teams to propose novel solutions to real-world space exploration challenges. 

Alisha Roy
Science Writer
11 June 2024