This year was full of success for the teams at Space Robotics, not only because our teams showed on repeated occasions what they are capable of achieving even under pressure, but also because we learned valuable lessons which we will now leverage to prepare for the next season.
Project CRATER
The team at project Crater participated at the “Rover Treff” in April, a friendly robotics competition in Switzerland where student teams from different countries can exhibit their current work and exchange ideas on how to improve. During the event, our martian rover endearingly named “Maree” successfully drove through and obstacle course simulating conditions a rover would encounter on the irregular Martian surface, securing the team the 4th place in the competition and a Makita toolit as reward.
During August, and with the lessons learned from the Rover Treff, the team participated in the European Rover Challenge 2025 and secured an honorable mention despite some technical issues with the rover – again showing the spirit characteristic of Space Robotics: where obstacles arise, we work out a solution and keep going forward.
Project GRAKSLER
Another highlight of this year came from the team at project GRAKSLER, the Space Elevator project. We participated in the Japan Space Elevator Challenge 2025 (JSPEC 2025), a friendly competition against other space elevator teams from around the world where we could put the current iteration of the elevator, “GRAKSLER 4.3” to the test. Here is where the talent for engineering from the team shined its brightest: the new and improved clamping mechanism for the climber cable reduced the mounting time from the previous 10 minutes to just under 1 minute.
Furthermore, the improved electronics system allowed us to gather sensor data in real time, to better control the climber during ascent and descent. Finally, the improved ground communication software gave the climber an even greater advantage over last year’s iteration, which allowed the team to drive the 100 m cable length with great success.
Furthermore, the lending agreement about the climbers “last.minute” and “one.third” with the Deutsches Museum was extended for another five years. Both climbers are exhibited in the Deutsches Museum Nürnberg.
At Space Robotics, we’re eager to see what the next year will bring along – new challenges, new goals, and most importantly new opportunities for growth. With this, our team wishes everyone a happy and successful new year.