Radio Cadena Agramonte emisiora de Camagüey
US startups Astroport Space Technologies and Astrolab have successfully completed a demonstration of their UTIPA excavator, a fully electric machine designed to become the cornerstone of lunar mining and pave the way for autonomous construction and mining projects on the lunar surface, Electrek reported.
The tests were carried out at Astroport's headquarters in San Antonio. During the trials, the excavator maneuvered in a small area and excavated lunar soil, simulated with common terrestrial sand.
Currently, major equipment manufacturers have been developing lunar construction and mining instruments for years to extract helium. This gas plays a fundamental role in the production of semiconductors, microchips, optical components, and everything that makes electric vehicles, autonomous systems, the Internet, and other aspects of 21st-century life possible.
The problem lies in the fact that, despite being the second most abundant element in the universe, helium is relatively scarce on Earth and its reserves are rapidly depleting.
As a result, the economic and political pressure to find new, reliable sources of helium beyond Earth is only increasing. This demand has driven a new modern space race: extracting helium from the Moon and transporting it to Earth.
The goal is to develop technology capable of extracting from the lunar soil (rocks and regolith), at depths of up to three meters, helium-3 (a light and stable isotope of helium presumably present on the Moon in significant quantities), packaging it, ensuring its safe storage, and transporting it to Earth, where it can be used to manufacture high-demand products.
Technically, the UTIPA excavator is an attachment for the FLEX rover, developed by Astrolab. The company hopes FLEX will become a modular platform that can replace the equipment it carries based on its task. (Text and photo: RT)
