Space tech to be put to test on Asia-bound Fiat Panda
Two ESA engineers are offering a unique testbed for novel space technology: a second-hand, two-decade-old Fiat Panda, set to be driven 16 000 km to compete in the Mongol Rally from Europe to the Mongolian steppes during summer 2023. Having already taken part in the Panda Raid race to Morocco and back, the ‘space2ground’ team plans to perform on-board testing over the course of their epic Asiatic drive.
“Once we decided to do this, we wanted to add some extra value and carry out supporting tests for various space activities,” says small satellite specialist Cesar Bernal, working at ESA’s ESTEC technology centre in the Netherlands. “We love space and our day jobs, so are currently in contact with various ESA projects about work we might do to help them.”
Software engineer Javier Fernandez, also based at ESTEC, adds: “For instance, we are discussing carrying satnav receivers to make various measurements of the various satellite navigation constellations – such as Galileo and GPS. A lot of ESA’s Galileo ground receiver testing up until now has been carried out within quite narrow geographic margins, like the few tens of kilometres between here at ESTEC along to nearby Rotterdam. We’ll be moving across wildly varied landscapes, from built-up urban centres to more isolated mountainous or desert regions, and down to lower latitudes as well.”
Another proposal is to take carefully geo-referenced soil samples along their route – the Mongol rally having no prescribed course, only a beginning and an end – to serve as a calibration resource for ESA’s Earth observing satellites, providing ‘ground truth’ to check that what the instruments in space are showing is what is actually there.
Cesar explains: “Our room aboard is quite limited, but we are also looking at carrying onboard computer systems, test boards or sensors – it will be a bumpy, dusty ride, experiencing extremes of temperature, so our trip will be a good test of general robustness. In addition we are talking to ‘internet of things’ service providers, harnessing satellite technology to track the position and condition of hardware – which in this case might include the telemetry of our car as it drives, or daily images of our journey.”
The pair bought their Fiat Panda to compete in the annual Panda Raid in October 2021, which is an annual 3000 km rally though the Sahara desert finishing at Marrakesh, reserved for first generation 4x2 and 4x4 Fiat Pandas.
“We were quite happy with the car we bought, which had 28 000 km on the clock,” comments Javier. “It is a two-wheel drive car – converting it would have cost more than getting a 4x4 version – with a less than 1 litre engine, which is part of the Mongol rally requirements.”
“We are both members of the ESTEC Car Club on site, so used their facilities to do a lot of work on it, having talked to people who’ve been on these rallies before. For example we fitted a snorkel to help the engine intake clean rather than dusty air, inserted seals to keep out dust, as well as adding new wheels with spacers for higher clearance. We learned a lot, and were doing last minute work right until setting off for the Panda Raid.”
The highlight of the roughly two-week rally was driving 3000 km across Morocco’s Sahara Desert, Cesar recalls: “Navigation is based around a road book rather than a map, listing a sequence of landmarks we had to follow each day. We got lost on a couple of occasions, finding ourselves completely surrounded by towering dunes and not seeing any other cars. Though we were never truly on your own because the organisers were tracking us remotely – accidentally crossing the border over to Algeria might have caused problems – so that family and friends can check the website to see where you are. The Mongol Rally will be very different in those terms.”
Javier notes: “We took along a whole lot of tools, but ended using just five of them – the one mechanical problem we had was when the car filled up with steam and smoke, which seemed bad but was just a failed fuse in the cooling fan.”
The space2ground team supported the ESA Humanitarian Relief Fund during their Panda Raid participation, advertising it on their vehicle and bringing back local crafts to sell.
The Mongol Rally planned for Summer 2023 is described as the world’s greatest road trip, across some of the emptiest territory on Earth, including a 4 000 m high mountain pass in Tajikistan. “It’s going to be hugely challenging, and a lot of fun, but we aim to be fun and useful, raising money for charity as well as space technology testing,” concludes Cesar.