Ukrainian IT company SoftServe to develop technologies for construction on the Moon
Photo: АР
One of Ukraine's major IT companies, SoftServe, is joining an international consortium that develops technological solutions for the construction on the moon under NASA's program.
As reported by Forbes, the consortium, led by American Astroport Space Technologies, secured a $1.3 million grant from the NASA STTR 2023 Phase II project in December 2023.
Under the grant, the consortium will focus on developing technologies for constructing lunar launch and landing pads in extreme conditions and ensuring safe landings on the Moon.
The Robotics & Advanced Automation division of SoftServe will be part of the project team, working on modeling robotic systems for real construction, mechanical interaction, and free movement on the Moon's surface.
The project is set to begin in January 2024.
"As part of this project, we will create models for the terrain's mechanical interaction between equipment, construction technology, and lunar soil and regolith," said SoftServe's Head of Robotics Liubomyr Demkiv. "Our work involves generating numerous digital simulations of the construction process on the Moon, considering the unique features and properties of the soil and various situations."
Background
SoftServe's Robotics & Advanced Automation division focuses on software for hardware and automated systems in various industries, from the space industry and agriculture to the automotive sector, heavy industry, and construction.
In related news, the "Vulkan Centaur" launch vehicle from the United Launch Alliance sent Ukraine's flag and a map to the Moon on a metal plate.
It was also reported that construction of a spaceport for Ukrainian launch vehicles began in 2021 in Nova Scotia, Canada. The groundbreaking ceremony for the first stone of the launch pad for the Ukrainian-Canadian project creating a commercial spaceport for the "Cyclone-4M" launch vehicle took place on November 19. The project involves the Ukrainian State Design Office "Pivdenne" and State Enterprise "Yuzhnyi Machine-Building Plant" on the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia, Canada.
