maxon drives are heading to the Red Planet with NASA’s Perseverance rover
In July, NASA
will be sending its fifth rover to Mars. Its main mission is to collect soil
samples that will be analyzed on Earth at a later time. The rover will also
carry a helicopter that will perform the first flights on the Red Planet.
maxon's precision DC and BLDC motors will be used for numerous mission-critical
tasks.
maxon drive systems are very familiar
with Mars. Our drives have been used in virtually every successful robotic
mission over the last three decades. There are now more than 100 of them on the
Red Planet and there are likely to be more soon. The launch window for NASA's
next mission opens on July 22nd. An Atlas V rocket will launch the new
Perseverance rover on its way to Mars, where it will be searching for signs of
previous life on the planet. Its most important job is to take multiple soil
samples, seal them in containers and deposit them on the surface of Mars so that
a future mission can return them to Earth. Several maxon motors will be used to
handle the samples inside the rover. For example, maxon DC motors are installed
in the robotic arm, which moves the samples from station to station. Maxon
motors will also be used for sealing and depositing the sample containers.
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL),
is carrying out the mission, and have asked maxon to produce 10 drives for the
rover. As with almost all previous Mars missions, these drives are based on standard
products from maxon's catalog with modifications. For the first time, NASA is
using brushless DC motors, including: nine EC 32 flat and one EC 20 flat in
combination with a GP 22 UP planetary gearhead. Working closely with JPL
specialists, maxon engineers developed the drives over several years and tested
them thoroughly to achieve the highest standards of quality. "We've
learned a lot from this exciting project," says Robin Phillips, head of
the maxon SpaceLab. "We now have very broad expertise in space
applications and have established quality assurance processes that meet the
expectations of the industry. Customers from other industries such as the
medical sector, where requirements are often similar, can also benefit from
this know-how." Space missions
place the highest demands on drive systems. This includes vibrations during the
rocket launch, vacuum during the journey, impacts on landing, and the harsh
conditions on the surface of Mars, where temperatures fluctuate between -125
and +20 degrees Celsius and dust penetrates everywhere.
Published by maxon on Jul 02, 2020