Past single robot missions to Mars have proven the feasibility and scientific value of robotic exploration in places where humans - so far - cannot go. Recently NASA’s Mars 2020 mission has provided successfully hints at the possibilities of multiple robots exploring Mars as a heterogeneous team. It is expected that technological breakthroughs in space transportation will likely facilitate enhanced cargo capacities for future Martian journeys [2, 3] making robotic operations order of magnitudes larger than today feasible. Such large-scale missions could serve current goals like the identification of water resources and hints of past and present life but also would be a key-enabler for long term goals like the establishment of sustained human presence on Mars. Recent neutron measurements by the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter hint at potentially large deposits of subsurface water in the Valles Marineris. These findings motivate us to think about robotic exploration in the Valles Marineris on a regional scale with a heterogeneous team of walking, driving and flying robots. Key differentiators to past missions would be the scale but also the accessibility of the targeted mission area. In order to search large areas on the surface of Mars - and especially the Valles Marines - innovative methods of autonomous swarm navigation are necessary. As part of the Valles Marineris Exploration (VaMEx) research initiative multiple key enabling technology areas have been identified such as mobility, communication, navigation and affordable testing via simulation. The intermediate goal is to validate the viability of the swarm concept within a demanding and representative real world analogue test site by 2025    «

Past single robot missions to Mars have proven the feasibility and scientific value of robotic exploration in places where humans - so far - cannot go. Recently NASA’s Mars 2020 mission has provided successfully hints at the possibilities of multiple robots exploring Mars as a heterogeneous team. It is expected that technological breakthroughs in space transportation will likely facilitate enhanced cargo capacities for future Martian journeys [2, 3] making robotic operations order of magnitudes...    »