Participation in JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) Public Call Project by Tohoku University (Lead Organization)! "Artefacts" Supports Simulation of Lunar Mobile Work Robot Systems

Asteria Artificial Recognition Technology LLC (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, CEO: Tomoya Sonoda, hereinafter Asteria ART), a consolidated subsidiary of Asteria Corporation (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Representative Director/CEO: Yoichiro Hirano, Securities Code: 3853, hereinafter Asteria), announces its participation as a cooperating organization in the technology development challenge "Development of Electron Beam Regolith Solidification Technology and Lunar Mobile Work Robot Systems," which was selected with Tohoku University as the lead organization, under the second phase of the "Space Strategic Fund Project" publicly solicited by JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency). This project aims to develop elemental technologies contributing to lunar infrastructure construction. Within this, Asteria ART will be responsible for building the simulation environment for lunar mobile work robot systems, utilizing its continuous simulation platform for robot applications, "Artefacts." ■ Background and Purpose of Project Participation In recent years, lunar exploration aiming to utilize abundant mineral resources on the Moon and build sustainable bases has been accelerating worldwide. In future lunar activities, infrastructure development to support landing, movement, and habitation is indispensable, but the biggest hurdle is the enormous cost associated with transporting materials from Earth. This project aims to establish innovative technology to directly construct lunar infrastructure such as landing pads and roadways on-site by melting and solidifying regolith (lunar soil) present on the Moon with an electron beam. The Moon is a harsh environment with vacuum, extremely low temperatures, and microgravity, and verification with actual equipment involves enormous costs and time. Asteria ART will participate in this project, bringing its expertise from the continuous simulation platform for robot applications, "Artefacts," cultivated through diverse domestic and international demonstration experiments. It will reproduce the lunar environment and build robot operation verification on software under that environment. This will enable high-precision continuous simulations approximately 50,000 times at low cost, contributing to the efficient development and verification of lunar mobile work robots and the construction of lunar infrastructure. Schematic diagram of lunar robot. Verification of lunar robot operation performed on Artefacts simulation platform reproducing the lunar environment. ■ Roles of "Asteria ART" and "Artefacts" in This Project ・High-precision Simulation "Artefacts" reproduces the lunar environment in digital space, building a test and simulation environment for robot operation under the unique lunar environment. This reduces dependence on actual equipment testing and accelerates the development cycle. ・Continuous Verification of Control Software for Lunar Mobile Robots It centrally manages the operation verification of complex control systems installed in lunar robots and continuously conducts emergency response simulations for unforeseen circumstances such as overturning or encountering obstacles. This supports the efficient development and verification of the project and enhances the safety and reliability of lunar activities. ・End-to-End Verification of Mission Operation Scenarios Beyond the design and testing phases of robots, the entire operation scenario of lunar exploration missions is reproduced and verified on Artefacts. By combining various operating conditions, comprehensive scenario testing before launch is realized, broadly contributing to improving the success rate of lunar exploration missions. ・JAXA Space Strategic Fund Website https://fund.jaxa.jp/ ・JAXA Space Strategic Fund Project Public Offering Guidelines "Technology Development Theme ~Elemental Technologies Contributing to Lunar Infrastructure Construction~" https://fund.jaxa.jp/content/uploads/koboyoryo_2_15.pdf ・Tohoku University Press Release "Space Strategic Fund Project (Second Phase) "Elemental Technologies Contributing to Lunar Infrastructure Construction" Selected ~Aiming for Development of Electron Beam Regolith Solidification Technology and Lunar Mobile Work Robot Systems~" https://www.niche.tohoku.ac.jp/news/research/20260424553/ ■ About "Asteria ART" https://www.artefacts.com/ja/ Asteria ART is a subsidiary of Asteria Corporation, providing "Artefacts," a platform that streamlines robot application development based on unique simulation technology. Artefacts enables rapid verification and improvement from the early development stages, independent of the physical environment, supporting the development and introduction of advanced robot systems. ■ About "Asteria Corporation" https://jp.asteria.