Motion Control – Maxon motors on Mars!
Taunton, MA — Motion Control Products – NASA’s Perseverance rover landed on Mars on February 18th. Was there once life on Mars? This is the question that one of the most complex robotic systems ever built by humankind has set out to answer. Several of maxon’s electric drives are used for handling the soil samples—and to control the first Mars helicopter.
Will NASA, the US space agency, successfully land a fifth rover on Mars, allowing it to start its series of missions to bring Mars soil samples back to Earth? The rover named Perseverance will enter the atmosphere of the Red Planet on February 18th—after traveling a distance of more than 470 million kilometers.
If everything goes according to plan, Perseverance will land in the Jezero Crater, which was once filled with water, to search for traces of earlier life. The rover looks a lot like its predecessor Curiosity, but it is equipped with more sophisticated measuring instruments and systems. One of its tasks will be to take up to 30 soil samples, place each of these in separate containers, seal them and place them on the surface of Mars for retrieval and return to Earth by later missions in which maxon will also be involved. This “Mars Sample Return” project is by far the most complex series of missions in the history of unmanned space exploration.
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is responsible for Perseverance and is counting on technology from maxon to handle the samples. There are ten electric drives in the rover. These are responsible for moving the robotic arm that navigates the samples from one station to the next. Additionally, the motors are used for sealing the containers and placing them on the surface of Mars.
Drives responsible for mission-critical tasks
Just like the more than 100 existing maxon drives that have been reliably performing their duties on Mars, the motors for Perseverance are based on standard catalog products: specifically, nine brushless DC motors, the EC 32 flat and one of the EC 20 flat motors combined with a GP 22 UP planetary gearhead.
The engineers at maxon closely collaborated with the specialists at JPL for several years to modify and extensively test the drives. The robotic arm on which the BLDC motors are mounted as well as the gripper are critical to the application and the success of the mission.
maxon is also on board the first Mars helicopter
A drone helicopter called Ingenuity is attached to the underside of the rover. Ingenuity is destined to perform the first ever flights on Mars in the history of space exploration. It is solar powered and weighs only 1.8 kilograms. Six brushed maxon DCX motors with a diameter of 10 millimeters control the tilt of the rotor blades, which determines the direction of flight. The drives feature high energy efficiency, are dynamic and very light. “In the development phase, we performed extensive tests to make sure that the motors will work as intended under the extreme conditions on Mars,” says Florbela Costa, project manager for this helicopter at maxon.
With this experiment, NASA wants to test the concept for future drone flights. Flying on Mars is a challenge. The atmosphere is extremely thin, roughly comparable to the conditions on Earth at an altitude of 30 kilometers. The first drone flights are scheduled for May. Space applications only constitute a small portion of maxon’s orders, but the high requirements push maxon to the next level. This is evident in the increased quality standards, as well as new testing methods and processes, which in turn also benefit customers in other areas, such as medical technology. “Apart from this, such space missions are simply incredibly fascinating,” says Eugen Elmiger, CEO of the maxon Group. “Time and time again, I feel honored and proud that our drives are used in these technically groundbreaking Mars missions.”
For additional information Go to:
NASA Pererverance Lander and Helicopter
Five Challanges Electric Motors Most Overcome on Mars
Notes on Photographs
The Perseverance rover and the Mars helicopter Ingenuity. © NASA/JPL-Caltech The Perseverance rover and the Mars helicopter Ingenuity. © NASA/JPL-Caltech
The robotic arm moves the soil samples to the volume assessment and scanning stations, then to the sealing station, and finally into temporary storage—all autonomously. © NASA/JPL-Caltech
The robotic arm moves the soil samples to the volume assessment and scanning stations, then to the sealing station, and finally into temporary storage—all autonomously. © NASA/JPL-Caltech
Left: The modified EC 32 flat drive. Nine of these drives are used in the Perseverance rover. Center: The EC 20 flat with GP 22 UP gearhead. Right: DCX 10 motors move the swashplate, which in turn controls the tilt of the rotor blades of the Mars helicopter. Image credits: maxon
Left: The modified EC 32 flat drive. Nine of these drives are used in the Perseverance rover. Center: The EC 20 flat with GP 22 UP gearhead. Right: DCX 10 motors move the swashplate, which in turn controls the tilt of the rotor blades of the Mars helicopter.
The Swiss specialist for quality drives maxon is a developer and manufacturer of brushed and brushless DC motors, as well as gearheads, encoders, controllers, and entire mechatronic systems. maxon drives are used wherever the requirements are particularly high: in NASA’s Mars rovers, in surgical power tools, in humanoid robots, and in precision industrial applications, for example. To maintain its leadership in this demanding market, the company invests a considerable share of its annual revenue in research and development. Worldwide, maxon has more than 3000 employees at nine production sites and is represented by sales companies in more than 30 countries.
The Swiss specialist for quality drives maxon is a developer and manufacturer of brushed and brushless DC motors, as well as gearheads, encoders, controllers, and entire mechatronic systems. maxon drives are used wherever the requirements are particularly high: in NASA’s Mars rovers, in surgical power tools, in humanoid robots, and in precision industrial applications, for example. To maintain its leadership in this demanding market, the company invests a considerable share of its annual revenue in research and development. Worldwide, maxon has more than 3000 employees at nine production sites and is represented by sales companies in more than 30 countries.
About Maxon
The Swiss specialist for quality drives maxon is a developer and manufacturer of brushed and brushless DC motors, as well as gearheads, encoders, controllers, and entire mechatronic systems. maxon drives are used wherever the requirements are particularly high: in NASA’s Mars rovers, in surgical power tools, in humanoid robots, and in precision industrial applications, for example. To maintain its leadership in this demanding market, the company invests a considerable share of its annual revenue in research and development. Worldwide, maxon has more than 3000 employees at nine production sites and is represented by sales companies in more than 30 countries.
Maxon is a developer and manufacturer of brushed and brushless DC motors, as well as gearheads, encoders, controllers, and entire mechatronic systems. With over 50 years of experience in drive technology, maxon works closely with engineers designing high-tech innovations. maxon drives are used wherever the requirements are particularly high: in NASA’s Mars rovers, in surgical power tools, in humanoid robots, and in precision industrial applications. Worldwide, maxon has more than 2800 employees at nine production sites and is represented by sales companies in more than 30 countries. www.maxongroup.com
This year, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to the cancellation of nearly all trade shows. Despite this, maxon is offering a digital trade show experience to all of its customers and anyone who’s interested in learning about the latest in drive technology. Visitors to maxon’s virtual booth will discover the benefits of our latest products such as the MiniMACS6 master controller, learn about high torque brushless DC motors as well as flat motors for robotics, and get to know the Mars rover. Visit virtualbooth.maxongroup.com and contact us to get your ideas moving.
If you prefer watching an entertaining video introducing all the latest products maxon brought to the market this year, you will find it here: https://youtu.be/Jtw7Hwxbdr4 a> Have fun watching! For more information please contact us at info.us@maxongroup.com or 508-677-0520.
Contact maxon for more details https://support.maxongroup.com/hc/en-us/requests/new
Comprehensive documentation and software are included with every delivery, and are also available for you to download from our website at www.maxonmotor.com.
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