Mexico Sends Historic Micro-robots Mission to Moon

Mexico is embarking on a historic journey with its maiden lunar mission, dubbed Colmena, slated for launch on January 8 from Cape Canaveral, Florida. This mission will deploy ve Mexican microbots on the moon’s surface, symbolizing a signi cant milestone in the nation’s space exploration endeavors.

Mexico’s Leap into Lunar Exploration

The microbots, each weighing approximately 60 grams and measuring 12 cm in diameter, are the brainchild of Mexican scientists and over 250 university students. They are designed to electronically recognize each other and assemble an energy generating panel. Colmena, Mexico’s contribution to the international Artemis program led by NASA, is a testament to the country’s scienti;c prowess and ambition.

These Mexican microbots will hitch a ride to the moon aboard Peregrine, a lunar lander developed by a Pittsburgh-based space robotics company. Once there, they will take unprecedented measurements above the lunar surface, such as lunar plasma temperature and particle sizes. These data will pave the way for new insights into lunar exploration.

Colmena Project: Mexico Sends Historic Micro-robots Mission to Moon

The director general of AEM, Salvador Landeros Ayala, shared that the Colmena

project will send ;ve micro-robots to the Moon. These robots were developed using technology from Mexico, originating at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), led by Dr. Gustavo Medina Tanco. The project head emphasized that this is a historic event, being the ;rst of its kind in Latin America.

The technology for the micro-robots and all mission equipment was developed at the Space Instrumentation Laboratory of the Institute of Nuclear Sciences (LINX-ICN) a!liated with UNAM. Other project contributors included AM, the National Council of Humanities, Science and Technology (Conahcyt), and the Government of the state of Hidalgo.