Meet the Team
Students from every major, advisors from industry, and sponsors who make it possible. Together we build autonomous systems for NASA's Lunabotics Challenge.
Subteams
Navigation
Autonomous pathfinding, obstacle avoidance, and sensor integration
Chassis
Structural framework, body design, and mechanical architecture
Regolith
Excavation systems, material handling, and dust mitigation
Drivetrain
Power transmission, mobility systems, and motor control
Project Management
Timeline, budget, procurement, and team coordination
Technical Marketing
Documentation, outreach, presentation, and competition deliverables
Competition
2026-2027 Lunabotics Competition
Return to Kennedy Space Center for the next Lunabotics competition cycle with an improved robot design and expanded capabilities.
Support the TeamStudents
Cherrie Rose Taltala
student
Cooper Kelleher
student
Oliver MacDonald
student
Nathan Papke
student
ryanmarty
student
cooperpiehl
student
Kyle Bailey
student
Evan Wallace
student
Prior Seasons
2024-2025
Lunabotics Debut
Lunabotics Debut
First season competing in NASA's Lunabotics Challenge. Designed and built the inaugural Bender robot for autonomous regolith excavation at Kennedy Space Center.
Result: Completed robot inspection and qualification rounds
2025-2026
Field Testing
Field Testing
Refining the excavation system and autonomous navigation. Focus on field testing and reliability improvements ahead of the 2026-2027 competition return.
Sponsors
Advisors
Dr. Steve Swanson
Boise State University
ongoing
Computer Scientist, former NASA astronaut, and Boise State Distinguished Educator in Residence. Dr. Swanson coaches three VIP teams: Autonomous Robotic Systems, NASA SUITS, and NASA Micro-g NExT Challenge.
Oliver MacDonald
Boise State University
ongoing
Robotics & systems engineer, co-founder of QTex AI, and Computing PhD student at Boise State. Oliver is an instructor for the Autonomous Robotics Systems VIP, bringing his experience as a founder and R&D engineering consultant to help build an environment that parallels the experiences students will have when they enter the workforce.
Matthew Oberg
Schweitzer Engineering Labs