Preparations, simulation and testing of remote Rover operations for a Martian robotic mission

The 2020 mission of the ExoMars programme will deliver a European Rover and a Russian Surface Platform to the surface of Mars. The ExoMars rover will travel across the Martian surface to search for signs of life. Whitin this framework, Altec has the responsibility to design, build and validate the Rover Operations Control Centre (ROCC) for the ExoMars 2020 Rover. The ROCC will host a team of engineers and scientists who will support the assessment on the data received from Mars and plan next-Sol Rover activities accordingly. A dedicated facility of the ROCC, the MTS (Mars Terrain Simulator), will be used to rehearse, simulate and validate the Rover activities during the operations definition phase, and Ground operator training. It will eventually support all the activities and contingencies which can arise during the surface mission. This thesis reports on an industry-based internship, which has been dedicated to support the Altec ExoMars Team in the definition, preparation, and execution of campaigns of validation and simulation for Ground operations. ExoTeR is a robotic platform, whose dimensions are half-scaled with respect to the real ExoMars Rover. It has been used for test preparation and execution in the MTS, together with a mock-up of the landing platform. The 3DROCS Ground software has been used to carry out the data assessment, perform the necessary planning activities and provide ExoTeR with the complete set of commands during the simulation campaign.