QUT Drives Roo-ver: Australia’s Groundbreaking Lunar Rover Navigation Project
Australia’s space ambitions received a major push as QUT researchers take the lead in developing navigation systems for Roo-ver, the country’s first lunar rover. Part of the Australian consortium ELO2, QUT will focus on positioning and navigation that enable a semi-autonomous rover to explore the Moon’s surface safely, even with limited onboard computing power. The project positions QUT at the forefront of robotics, planetary science, and space engineering as Roo-ver inches toward a planned late-decade Moon landing.
Affectionately nicknamed Roo-ver, the rover is designed, built, tested, and operated in Australia, with a collaboration spanning industry partners, research organisations, and ten universities, all working under the aegis of the Australian Space Agency. After launch, Roo-ver will be remotely operated from an Australian mission control centre and will work alongside NASA in efforts to establish a sustainable human presence on the Moon.
A World-Class Test Bed: Yandiwanba at QUT
The QUT team will leverage the recently opened Yandiwanba facility — the largest covered testing environment in Australia for field robotics under realistic lunar conditions. Named from a Yugara word meaning “to go from the ground to a higher place,” Yandiwanba houses a 19m by 11.4m lunar test bed filled with lunar regolith simulant. This environment lets researchers recreate the challenges of lunar exploration here on Earth, enabling rapid iteration of the systems that will guide Roo-ver on the Moon.
At Yandiwanba, core experiments will demonstrate how Roo-ver can use the lander as a landmark to guide its movements with constrained resources. The team will also probe visual object detection — identifying rocks, craters and other phenomena of interest — to improve autonomy without relying on Earth-based processing for every decision.
Navigating the Moon: Challenges and Innovative Solutions
Moon navigation is uniquely difficult. There are no GPS satellites, terrain is unforgiving, and computing resources aboard the rover are intentionally limited. The QUT group is advancing robotic vision, scene understanding, and localisation techniques that let Roo-ver recognize the surrounding terrain, determine its position relative to key landmarks, and plan safe routes in real time. These developments are crucial for enabling the rover to execute science tasks while conserving power and keeping communication with mission control manageable.
“There are no GPS satellites, the terrain is harsh and computing resources are limited. Our team is working on new approaches to robotic vision, scene understanding and localisation that will help keep Roo-ver safe and on course,” said Professor Michael Milford, Director of the QUT Centre for Robotics. This work also draws on QUT’s strengths in perception and navigation, with a focus on creating robust systems that can operate in extreme environments beyond Earth.
Collaboration, Funding, and the Bigger Picture
Roo-ver is a team endeavour. The work at QUT sits within a broader consortium that includes industry, research organisations, ten universities, and NASA, underpinned by a government commitment of $42 million to Australia’s space initiatives through the Australian Space Agency. Roo-ver is a stepping stone toward a sustainable lunar presence, a core objective of Australia’s space strategy and scientific leadership in robotics, automation, and remote operations.
“Navigating the terrain of the lunar surface — 384,000 kilometres away — is an incredibly complex task, and the navigation work Professor Peynot and his team are undertaking will be vital to the Mission’s success,” said Ben Sorensen, Roo-ver Mission Director. QUT officials emphasise that the project aligns with Australia’s strengths in advanced manufacturing, automation, and planetary science, and will have lasting benefits for education and industry.
Associate Professor Thierry Peynot, leading the QUT team from the Centre for Robotics, noted the parallels with other extreme environments the university studies, including Antarctica. “There are many parallels between operating on the Moon and in Antarctica,” he said, highlighting the transferable lessons from drone and robot operations in harsh conditions under the Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future initiative. The collaboration also involves Associate Professor David Flannery and Professors Niko Suenderhauf and Dimity Miller, as well as a broader group of researchers who bring complementary expertise in Earth sciences, robotics, and systems engineering.
Looking Ahead: From Earth Tests to Lunar Reality
With the IAC — the 76th International Astronautical Congress — taking place in Sydney later this year, QUT’s Roo-ver project is drawing international attention to Australia’s growing space capability. The testing and development at Yandiwanba will continue to refine how Roo-ver interprets its surroundings, uses landmarks to navigate, and makes decisions about where to explore next. The goal is not only to reach the Moon but to demonstrate robust, autonomous surface navigation that benefits future robotic explorers and related technologies on Earth as well.
The Team Behind Roo-ver
In addition to Professor Peynot and Professor Milford, the QUT research group includes Professor Niko Suenderhauf, Dr Dimity Miller, and Associate Professor David Flannery. Their combined expertise in robotics, perception, and earth sciences will help ensure Roo-ver remains on track as a flagship Australian effort in space robotics.
