GITAI Successfully Demonstrates Robotics Construction Capabilities for Lunar Communications Towers

In collaboration with KDDI to establish a robust communications infrastructure on the moon by the late 2020's

TORRANCE, Calif., March 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- GITAI USA Inc. (GITAI), the world's leading space robotics startup, today announced a significant milestone in lunar infrastructure construction technology. In a groundbreaking demonstration and a "first of its kind," GITAI successfully demonstrated its robotics technology for constructing a 5-meter-high communication tower in an environment simulating the lunar surface. The project was spearheaded by GITAI in collaboration with its customer, KDDI Corporation, one of Japan's largest telecommunications operators.

The demonstration was conducted only using GITAI's products, including (1) Lunar Rover and (3) Inchworm robots equipped with "grapple end-effectors" on both ends of the arm, enabling a wide range of tasks necessary for construction.

The ground demonstration video of communication tower construction using multiple robots
Click to view GITAI demonstration video on YouTube

Key highlights from the demonstration
In this technological demonstration, GITAI successfully accomplished the following three tasks for the lunar communication tower autonomously:

• On a desert simulating the lunar surface, GITAI's Lunar Rover and 3 x Inchworm Robots constructed a 5-meter communication tower.
• The same combination of the robots connected the communication antenna* to the apex of the tower. Also connected power cables, and the energization was confirmed.
• The same combination of the robots proceeded to detach the antenna and disassemble the tower. This activity was designed to simulate maintenance operations essential for sustainable lunar city development.

*In this collaboration, KDDI provided the specifications and insights for their mobile phone base station on the Earth, and GITAI developed the communication antenna optimized for robotic construction.

About GITAI's products
To achieve the scalability of the robotics task capability, GITAI identified the general-purpose Inchworm Robot and Rover Robot as a minimum unit, and the combination can realize the scalability. And GITAI's robots can operate in a 1G environment, allowing for extensive testing and evaluation on Earth before deploying their robots in space. This concept was selected for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's (DARPA) 10-Year Lunar Architecture (LunA-10) capability study in December 2023.

The demonstration proved the broad applicability of GITAI's robotics technology and its combination, verifying that the company's robots possess the essential capabilities required for scalable lunar urban development for construction, inspection, and maintenance services not only for telecommunication towers but for all other lunar infrastructure development projects, including in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) plants, power towers, launch pads, and more.

GITAI is also actively working for the improvement of the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) and is currently undergoing an external in-space servicing, assembly, and manufacturing (ISAM) tech-demo onboard the Space Station (ISS) with the company's 1.5-meter-long autonomous dual robotic arm system (S2). By demonstrating the S2, a robot that embodies the essence of GITAI's robotics technology, incorporating the same fundamental technology used in the company's innovative Inchworm Robot and Lunar Rover, GITAI aims to achieve (TRL) 7. In June 2023, GITAI also successfully completed lunar environment testing for the major components of their in-house developed lunar Inch-worm type robotic arm.

For more information about this groundbreaking project and our future plans for lunar exploration, please visit gitai.tech.

About GITAI
GITAI aims to reduce the cost of labor in space by 100 times, thereby providing a safe and affordable means of work in space. GITAI operates in two business areas: on-orbit services and lunar infrastructure construction. For more on GITAI's products, services, and upcoming missions, visit: GITAI.tech.

About KDDI
KDDI is a leading telecommunications company in Japan with over 65 million customers. For consumers, KDDI provides reliable cellular service in Japan, Myanmar, and Mongolia. For businesses, KDDI offers loT integration in over 22 million connected cars worldwide, and global data center solutions through their Telehouse brands. Furthermore, expanding beyond telecom, KDDI focuses on sustainability, finance, energy, and DX, Life Transformation, while promoting space, mobility, healthcare, and education as "Satellite Growth Strategy". KDDI, with the vision of "Enhancing the Power to Connect", will create a truly connected society by leveraging 5G and upcoming technologies and services. For more information, visit https://www.kddi.com/english/

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SOURCE GITAI USA Inc.