Pasadena-Based Company Engineering the First Robotic Arm to Survive the Extreme Cold of the Moon

Pasadena-based Motiv Space Systems, in partnership with Jet Propulsion Laboratory, today announced the development of COLDArm, the first-in-kind robotic arm that will be built to survive the extreme cold of the Moon’s South Pole ushering in a new era of extended space exploration on the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

COLDArm (short for Cold Operable Lunar Deployable Arm) is a vital component of the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS), a NASA program to send small robotic landers and rovers to the Moon, including its South Pole — a region known for extremely cold temperatures in the dark of night.

In fact, extreme cold is the biggest design challenge faced by the space robotics engineers at Motiv and JPL. To date, there aren’t that many space components that are expected to last a lunar night or to operate during a lunar night, but all of that is changing. 

“COLDArm will be designed to operate in cryogenic environments using electronics and lubricant-free mechanical components that can function in environments as cold as –279°F. The design will reduce the power needed for a rover or lander’s operations, enabling robots equipped with the arm to extend missions,” said Tom McCarthy, Motiv’s vice president of business development.

COLDArm, which utilizes next-generation technologies of both Motiv Space Systems and JPL, is funded by NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) through the Game Changing Development Program.

Motiv’s experience in building space-capable robotic arms is extensive: Perseverance, xLink, and now COLDArm, a robot arm that is also adaptable, potentially fitting many of the rovers and landers that NASA has planned for future missions. 

Motiv Space Systems designs both ground and space-rated robotic solutions for a range of application demands. As the team that provided the robotic arm for NASA’s JPL Mars 2020 Perseverance rover, Motiv Space Systems leverages technologies from both Earth and space to offer cost-effective solutions for robotics in a variety of industries. 

Their newly launched xLink™ Space-Rated Modular Robotic Arm System is highly capable and has a profoundly flexible architecture, redefining the market for space-rated robotic arms in terms of both cost and capabilities.

For more information about Motiv Space Systems, visit https://motivss.com.

For more information about COLDArm, visit https://motivss.com/tech-dev/cold-operable-lunar-deployable-arm/.