MTU Multiplanetary INnovation Enterprise

The Multiplanetary INnovation Enterprise (MINE) seeks to design, test, and implement robotic technologies for extracting and using local resources, construction, and characterization in extreme environments. These environments currently include Lunar, Martian, and flooded subterranean environments on Earth. MINE works in multidisciplinary groups of undergraduate students to develop technology to perform tasks in extreme environments on Earth and on other planets. Extreme environments include the space environment (vacuum, temperature extremes, lunar dust, minerals and lunar and Martian ice), underground remote operation and autonomy as well as unstructured and GPS denied environments on Earth and other planetary bodies, as well as exploring flooded mines. We participate in NASA’s lunabotics competition, build and test robotic vehicles and technologies directly related to state-of-the-art research for a variety of customers (Government, Commercial, Internal).