The SpaceHopper, a prototype developed by students at ETH Zurich, is designed for future space missions focused on exploring small celestial bodies like asteroids and moons. These bodies are believed to harbor valuable mineral resources that may benefit humanity, and studying them could enhance our understanding of the universe's formation.
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The project began two and a half years ago as part of an ETH initiative for students pursuing their Bachelor's degrees. It is now being advanced by a team of five Master's students and one doctoral student as a regular research project.
A key challenge in developing robots for exploration on smaller celestial bodies is their low gravitational environments, which differ significantly from Earth. To address this, the researchers have conducted tests of the SpaceHopper in zero-gravity conditions during a European Space Agency parabolic flight.