Image Caption – Astrobotic Co-Founder & PI of Iris Rover Red Whittaker with Cybersecurity Researcher & Mission Operator Harshvardhan Chunawala.
In a groundbreaking endeavor that harmonizes innovation with exploration, Carnegie Mellon University’s (CMU) Iris Lunar Rover embarked on Peregrine Mission One on January 8, 2024, at 2:18 a.m. from Cape Canaveral SLC-41 that transcended beyond the confines of our world. The initiation of the Iris Rover Space Mission was a deeply emotional moment for the team, who gathered in Florida to witness the rocket launch at Cape Canaveral.
This moment powerfully reflected the team’s unwavering commitment and sense of unity that propelled them from the project’s outset to the day of the launch. This mission unites advanced secure networking with space exploration, robotics, computer science, engineering and the arts, driven by the pioneering spirit of the Information Networking Institute (INI) and collaboration across seven CMU colleges.
As we delve into this space mission and journey of the nano Iris Rover, we celebrate not just a technological feat but a collective leap toward the mysteries of space, driven by the aspirations of alumni, students and faculty alike. Together, they pushed the boundaries of what is possible, marking a new chapter in lunar exploration.
Harshvardhan Chunawala identified the potential opportunities for CMU’s Information Networking Institute (INI) to contribute to the project. He worked with Dena Haritos Tsamitis, Director of the INI, and David Wettergreen, Director of the Ph.D. program at the CMU Robotics Institute, to develop hands-on technical pathways for INI students to contribute to CMU’s space missions and Engineering projects.
This collaboration resulted in INI students contributing to CMU’s space missions like Iris and upcoming rovers like MoonRanger. Through Practicum, a program that engages students in solving real-world challenges, INI students have developed core space systems and advanced ongoing research. This initiative acts as a bridge for INI students, immersing them in the forefront of space exploration by training them to navigate the challenges of the cosmos and continue the CMU space legacy.
H. Chunawala was an early contributor to building the Carnegie Mellon Mission Control (CMMC), which will be leveraged for all future space missions initiated from CMU, and is among the first INI students to work on CMU space missions. H. Chunawala became the first Lunar Rover Mission Operator from the INI on the Iris team to command the rover at a Lunar Distance of ~233,000 miles from The Earth.
“We’ve not just reached space; we’ve pushed the boundaries of our potential, setting a new paradigm for exploration,” said H. Chunawala. “Each bit of data from Iris was a pixel painting a picture of triumph in the canvas of space.” – Harshvardhan Chunawala
Iris became the smallest and lightest rover ever to go to space, and the first university-built lunar rover to travel to space. It marks a pivotal shift toward democratizing space exploration by providing an executed Proof-of-Concept of ultra low-cost rovers. With its budget measured in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, as opposed to millions of dollars, Iris opens up space exploration to broader participation and innovation. The lessons learned and insights gathered from Iris are instrumental for future missions, notably MoonRanger, paving a road for a sustainable, cost-effective model for lunar exploration. Continue Reading on CMU News