On the right road: Australian Rover Challenge sets students on the pathway to a career in space

The inaugural Australian Rover Challenge – involving teams from three Australian universities – is opening students’ minds to a career in the space sector.

In 1996, Andy Thomas became the first Australian to fly in space. A quarter of a century later, engineering students from across the country became the first Australians to participate in the inaugural Australian Rover Challenge in Adelaide, tasked with designing, building and operating rovers on a simulated lunar landscape.

Already an established event in the US, Canada, Europe and India, organisers of the Australian Rover Challenge chose to do things differently. “In the US they go into the desert and one team at a time participates: it’s very secretive,” says John Culton, director of the Andy Thomas Centre for Space Resources (ATCSR) and Associate Professor of off-Earth resources at The University of Adelaide, who played a key role in bringing the event to South Australia.

John Culton, director of the Andy Thomas Centre for Space Resources and Associate Professor of off-Earth resources at The University of Adelaide.

“We wanted to make it a bit different: we constructed a simulated lunar terrain here on campus, in the middle of the CBD, we had jumbotrons, stadium seating for spectators, and we provided colour commentary as the rovers were going through the challenges.

“We turned it into a spectator sport and have ended up with the best rover challenge in the world, if we can so modestly say.”

Three teams competed in the event – Monash, RMIT and The University of Adelaide.

Each team faced four challenges across navigation, resource utilisation and construction, with in-situ resource evaluation and semi-autonomous tasks, as well as presenting their rover design to industry professionals, academia and judges. While mechanical engineering students were at the core of the teams, students of physics, electrical engineering, civil engineering, geology and astrophysics also played a significant part.

Monash University's Nova rover is put through its paces as part of the 2021 Australian Rover Challenge.

“Even though most of the students who participated aren’t involved in space applications, this was an opportunity to explore the possibility of applying their learning to this sector that I think is about to take everyone by surprise,” Associate Professor Culton says. “The commercial space exploration sector, SpaceX Mars and the Artemis program are coming faster than most people think.

“This is the generation that will be able to have a space career from start to finish, doing what they want to do in support of space exploration.”

Students engage in the 2021 Australian Rover Challenge.

Students and organisers involved in this year’s Australian Rover Challenge.

With sponsorship from commercial firms including Fleet Space Technologies in Adelaide and international lunar robotic exploration company iSpace, the event also provided invaluable industry exposure. “Flavia and Matt from Fleet spent a lot of time discussing career possibilities with the students, and representatives from iSpace and the Australian Space Agency also interacted with the participants,” Associate Professor Culton says. “A lot of the students said this opened their eyes to the demand for their skillsets and talents, and the possibilities in space. To have CEOs saying: ‘We love what you’re doing and we’ll hire you’ is exactly what we are looking for.”

For Associate Professor Culton, the growing number of local opportunities is especially satisfying. “With Fleet, Southern Launch, Myriota and the ASA, you can be born and raised in Adelaide and stay in Adelaide and build lunar rovers – it’s really fantastic,” he says.