Experimental Verification of Robotic Landing and Locomotion on Asteroids

In-situ explorations of asteroids and other small celestial bodies are crucial to collect surface samples, which could be the key to understanding the formation of our solar
system. Studying the composition of asteroids is also important for future planetary defense and mining resources for in-situ utilization. However, the weak gravitational
field poses many challenges for robotic landing and locomotion scenarios on the surface of asteroids. Legged climbing robots are expected to perform well under microgravity, as they can maintain surface attachment, preventing undesired flotation and uncontrolled bouncing. Therefore, we need to consider methods to plan and control the landing and locomotion of climbing robots on asteroids. In this study, we have performed experiments regarding the emulation of two scenarios; 1-
Landing, 2- Locomotion. For both landing and locomotion scenarios, separate PD controllers have been utilized.