Australian Rover Challenge 2026
Learn moreThe Australian Rover Challenge (ARCh) is an annual robotics competition held by the University of Adelaide, where university students from across Australia and around the globe, battle it out in a full-scale Lunar mission, using semi-autonomous rovers that they have designed and built themselves. Competitors showcase their skills in a custom built simulated lunar environment, and complete a range of tasks including navigation, resource, and construction. Unlike many other rover competitions across the world which focus on Martian exploration, the ARCh is focused specifically on completing tasks on a simulated Lunar surface.
COMPETITION TASKS
Post Landing Tasks
The rover must perform a series of activities immediately after landing to establish an operational In-Situ Resource Utilisation (ISRU) outpost, including conducting system checks, evaluating supply caches, performing maintenance, and connecting propellant hoses.
Space Resources Task
The rover must evaluate, collect, and extract critical lunar resources—specifically prospecting for ilmenite and icy regolith, and processing the icy regolith to extract the highest possible amount of liquid water.
Excavation and Construction Task
The rover must prepare a landing site by clearing hazardous rocks, excavating regolith to construct a protective berm, and deploying dust-mitigating pavers.
Mapping and Autonomous Task
The rover is required to autonomously navigate to predefined landmarks and subsequently explore the area to construct a comprehensive map, reporting the coordinates of previously unknown landmarks