USU Mars Rover Team to Compete in International Challenge

The Utah State University Mars Rover Team has earned an invitation to compete in the international University Rover Challenge, taking place May 28-31 at the Mars Desert Research Station in Hanksville, Utah.

"This is a major accomplishment because it is the first time a USU team will be represented in person," said Amanda Olsen, USU Mars Rover team advisor.

The challenge is held by The Mars Society, an international non-profit human to Mars organization. The URC challenges teams to design and build cutting-edge Mars rovers that could one day work alongside astronauts in exploring the Red Planet.

The USU team was invited to this competition for the first time back in 2020 but was unable to attend in person due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year's team consists of around 12 students, including both senior capstone students and club members. This is a smaller team compared to those from other universities, which typically have between 50 and 100 members.

"I've been on the rover team since late 2021, and every year we have done good work, but due to the short time period and our small group size, we were never quite able to make it to the finish line," said Andres Buval, team lead of the USU Mars Rover Team.

This year, under Buval's leadership and with guidance from their capstone advisor, Jackson Graham, the team reached a new milestone.

To qualify for the competition, teams must receive an invitation, granted only after submitting a successful report and video demonstration of their rover to the challenge's panel of judges. This year, 114 total teams registered across 15 countries, and USU was one of the top 38 teams to be selected. While typically only the top 36 teams are selected, the exceptionally competitive scores this year led the judges to expand the field, allowing two additional teams to qualify for the 2025 competition.

The event consists of four main challenges: the science mission, autonomous mission, equipment servicing mission and delivery mission. Each challenge has a different set of requirements, but ultimately, the rover must be capable of traversing rugged terrain, operating autonomously and using the arm to do things such as flip a switch or pick up an object.

Originally built by last year's capstone team, the rover has been significantly upgraded by this year's team to prepare it for the challenge. Key improvements were made to the electronics and science module, which is responsible for collecting soil samples and detecting potential signs of life.

"I'm beyond grateful for my team and proud of them for all the dedication and hard work that made this happen," said Buval.

This year's University Rover Challenge is set to take place from May 28-31 at the Mars Desert Research Station in Hanksville, Utah.

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Writer: Madeline Buskirk, madeline.buskirk@usu.edu, 435-797-7512

Contact: Andres Buval, usu.seds@gmail.com