Researchers at the Krakow AGH University of Science and Technology are involved in the project of the European Space Agency, which aims to launch the lander on Phobos – one of the moons of Mars.

Researchers from the Faculty of Mining and Geoengineering, together with the Space Research Center of the Polish Academy of Sciences, started the project “LOOP – Landing Once on Phobos”. Research conducted at the AGH University of Science and Technology is a part of the European Space Agency (ESA) project.

Designing construction works on the surface of Phobos is one of the tasks of the research team from the Faculty of Mining and Geoengineering. The experimental laboratory works include reconstructing the conditions prevailing on Phobos and examining the reaction of various types of ground to the lander’s foot. Simulations of the lander’s contact with the Phobos surface will be carried out on a mobile platform in one of the halls at the Faculty of Mining and Geoengineering.

The team of the AGH University of Science and Technology together with the Space Research Center of the Polish Academy of Sciences has two years to carry out the project.