JPL Applies Tech from Perseverance Mission to New Submersible Robot

A new robotic undersea explorer built in partnership with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which incorporates technology from the Perseverance Mars Rover and Ingenuity Mars Helicopter currently on the Red Planet, set out for its first demonstration mission Friday, officials said.

Orpheus is a small submersible robot JPL has developed in conjunction with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in Massachusetts.

It was loaded onto the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ship Okeanos Explorer, which set out for a two-week expedition to test out the prototype, JPL said in a written statement.

“This new class of submersible robot will showcase a system that will help it find its way and identify interesting scientific features on the seafloor,” the statement said.

It incorporated the same type of autonomous ‘terrain-relative navigation’ system that engineers used to help the Perseverance Mars Rover find a safe landing spot in February, and allowed the Mars Ingenuity Helicopter to carry out the first powered aircraft flights on another world in May.

After showing success in space, the technology will now be used to create detailed 3D maps of the deepest depths of the Atlantic Ocean — known as the hadal zone — more than 20,000 below the surface, according to JPL. But first, Orpheus is being tested in shallower waters JPL Robotics engineer Russell Smith said.

“This tech demo will be used to gather data to demonstrate the viability of terrain-relative navigation in the ocean while also showing how multiple robots will operate together in extreme environments,” he said. “These tests will put us on track to start future dives into the hadal zone and intelligently seek out exciting regions of high biological activity.”

With its advanced technology, Orpheus is “an order of magnitude” lighter than most other submersibles used to study the deep ocean, according to JPL. It weighs in at 550 pounds.

“Orpheus is designed to be nimble, easy to operate, and rugged while exploring depths inaccessible to most vehicles,” the statement added.

The team behind the project ultimately imagines swarms of similar robots building detailed and complete maps of Earth’s ocean floors, JPL said.

“In the future, some of the most extreme ocean environments will be within our reach. From deep ocean trenches to hydrothermal vents, there are many new destinations we will explore,” JPL Systems Engineer Andy Klesh said. “By staying small, we’ve created a new, simplified tool for ocean scientists — one that directly benefits NASA as an analog system for autonomous space exploration.”

The experience may also come in handy as scientists make plans to explore the oceans of other worlds, as well.

“Jupiter’s moon Europa possesses a subsurface ocean that could host conditions favorable to life,” the JPL statement said.

More information on the Orpheus project can be found online at oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/okeanos/explorations/ex2102/welcome.html.