The five robots that will make up the Colmena mission Courtesy of Dr. Gustavo Medina / LINX
Medina Tanco explained that seven hours after the successful launch and successful separation of United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Centauro rocket, the Peregrino ship, on the correct course to the Moon, faced complications with its targeting system. This inconvenience affected the ability of the solar panels to continue charging the ship’s batteries.
“We are already 310,000 kilometers from Earth, that is, 80% of the Earth-Moon distance. With Proyecto Colmena, Mexico is already in the club of the very few countries in the world that have reached this point,” said the Institute of Nuclear Sciences of UNAM.
After performing complex maneuvers, Astrobotic engineers managed to restore the pointing and the batteries are currently fully charged. However, to stabilize the ship and keep its panels facing the Sun, the other engines were used intensively. This extensive fuel use is exceeding initial expectations and significantly limiting the life of the spacecraft, as well as its ability to land on the Moon in a controlled manner.
The Colmena Mission was supported with a budget of more than 13 million pesos, approximately more than 700,000 dollars, distributed between the Mexican Space Agency and the National Council of Science and Technology. Six million were allocated for the creation of the robots, with the collaboration of 250 students from UNAM and IPN, coming from various disciplines such as engineering, mathematics, physics, chemistry, art and law. The remaining seven million were earmarked for launch aboard the Peregrino.
The estimated date for Peregrine’s moon landing was between February 23 and 24 of this year. The journey to reach the lunar surface and complete its trajectory will last approximately 46 days, followed by another two days dedicated to the deployment of the five microrobots. These robots would carry out space exploration and mining activities.
Colmena is made up of five robots 12 centimeters in diameter and weighing 56 grams each. Equipped with wheels and fins, these devices harness the energy generated by their flexible solar panels, designed to withstand the vibrations associated with their launch on a special rocket. Additionally, they have sensors, microprocessors, autonomous navigation capabilities, and radar to move and communicate with each other. Medina says these devices are the first of this size to operate in space, designed to address the challenges of being so small and sophisticated, ensuring their survival during space travel until they reach the Moon.
Regardless of how it went, Colmena has already reached a milestone by becoming Latin America’s first lunar mission, conceived and executed at UNAM’s Institute of Nuclear Sciences (INC). Although this initiative, powered by the Vulcan Centauro rocket, will not reach its destination in February, the possibility of its arrival appears close.
2024-01-11 01:14:58
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