Pilot campaigns, space elevator competitions, and the initiation of a moon hopper project – 2024 was nothing short of momentous for WARR Space Robotics.
Project CRATER
Designs, reviews, manufacturing – and finally our first prototype, MAREE (Martian Autonomous Rover for Experimentation and Exploration) 1.0: In October 2024, the team carried out its very first test campaign in the DLR Oberpfaffenhofen where we conducted tests on the mechanical performance of the rover’s chassis and sampling system in an analogue planetary environment. This test campaign proved pivotal for the team: it provided us with insights on how to improve our subsystems for the next iteration of MAREE. Further developments to the payloads and autonomous navigation are ongoing in preparation for the European Rover Challenge (ERC) 2025.
Project GRAKSLER
Elevating to new heights, one ascent at a time – in December 2024, the space elevator team competed in the Japan Space Elevator Challenge (JSPEC) in Fuji, Japan. The GRAKSLER 4.3, made from carbon fibre and aluminium, is controlled autonomously with ground station control. During the climber’s test drive in Japan, the GRAKSLER 4.3 managed to test drive a whopping 60m without payload. The team announces their collaboration with Schmitt und Sohn Aufzüge (S+). Lastly, Space Elevator will once again be organising EUSPEC in 2026.
Project VAMPIRE
“Could there be water ice in permanently shadowed polar regions of the moon?”. Founded in 2024, VAMPIRE is a robotics project with a rocket propulsion twist, hoping to provide a new means to explore locations on the moon that are usually disqualified as potential landing sites. The project originated from small scale experiments to hover and land a tiny solid fuelled rocket and has grown since: the team aims to develop a more optimised hopper design for further experimentation and is working towards a case study for small lunar hopper missions to complement testing.
The milestones of 2024 highlight the team’s innovation, resilience, and dedication to shaping the future of space exploration.