The army of tiny robots explores the Moon

Five thin disc-like robots, 12 centimeters in diameter with two wheels, will launch into space this year to study the surface of the Moon.

Five tiny robots are expected to launch into space in June of this year under the Colmena project, travel on the surface of the Moon and make sophisticated measurements, Reuters reported on February 25. This is the first time that a scientific mission of this type has been deployed.

Illustration of a tiny robot working on the Moon.

The army of tiny robots was developed by a team at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and will work together like a swarm of bees. The American company Astrobotic Technology's Peregrine lander will carry them away from Earth, starting a flight about 386,000 km to the Moon.

The lander is expected to be launched into space by the Vulcan rocket of the US company United Launch Alliance. If successful, this will be the first US lander to land on the Moon in nearly 50 years.

"This is a small mission for us to test the idea. After that, we will do other missions, first to the Moon and then to asteroids," said Gustavo Medina Tanco, scientist at UNAM, Colmena project team leader, said.

Colmena means "honeycomb" in Spanish. During a visit to UNAM's space instrument laboratory, the Colmena project team tested a launch vehicle for robots. The project involved 200 students of chemistry, mathematics, physics and engineering.

The robots are made from high quality stainless steel, titanium alloy, aluminum for space missions. The robot has two wheels with a body that looks like a thin plate, 12cm in diameter. They can communicate with each other and with the command center on Earth.

They are equipped to collect lunar minerals that could be useful for future space mining, says Medina Tanco. During the roughly month-long mission, the army of tiny robots will make measurements of the Moon's plasma temperature, electromagnetism and soil particle size for the first time.

Medina Tanco is very proud of the upcoming mission. "Nobody has done this before, not only in Mexico. We can make a difference in technology and international cooperation, thereby forming important affiliated organizations for mineral research or real food. make other scientific discoveries," he said.