The University of Western Ontario
Canadian Participation in the Rover-Aerial Vehicle Exploration Network (RAVEN) — The Mars Helicopter Ingenuity that accompanied NASA’s Mars 2020 Rover Perseverance was a successful demonstration of the use of small Unmanned Aerial Systems (sUAS) in planetary exploration. The identification of high priority samples on planetary surfaces is typically
achieved through either rover-only or combined rover/orbiter mission architectures. One of the great benefits of using sUAS in rover operations is the high-resolution “local” view they provide of the field site, filling the gap between wide-area satellite coverage and the “close-up” view provided by rovers.

This project will provide support for Canadian trainees to participate in the NASA funded Rover-Aerial Vehicle Exploration Network (RAVEN). The RAVEN project seeks to test mission architectures that integrate both sUAS and rovers for the future exploration of Mars. The specific goals of this project are to support the RAVEN team during field-based deployments at the Holuhraun analogue site, a lava flow field in Icela