Mars Rover Life Detection System 2.0

Yonder Dynamics @ UC San Diego • Oct 2025 - Feb 2026

Tag: Active Cooling • 3D Printing • Soil Processing • Precision Motion

Overview

The Mars Rover Life Detection System 2.0 is a completely redesigned scientific analysis subsystem, developed for life-detection operations at University Rover Challenge (https://urc.marssociety.org/). This system integrates thermal regulation, soil processing, regulated sample dispensing, precision optical alignment, and light-tight enclosure to enable repeatable in-field chemical assays, including Ninhydrin, Nile Red, and Raman-based analysis.

Yonder Dynamics 2026 SAR Video

Primary Objectives

Here are the main goals of Mars Rover Life Detection System 2.0:

Implement active thermal management capable of maintaining sub-20°C internal temperature under high ambient desert environment.
Improve soil sieving and volumetric dispensing consistency.
Increase cuvette positioning accuracy
Enhance optical alignment repeatability
Improve serviceability and modularity.

Active Thermal Regulation System

An active thermal regulation system that utilizes water-cooled Peltier cooling system, designed for maintaining chemical-based assays at room temperature under high ambient desert environment to optimize their performance. Achieved minimum temperature of 6.5°C under room-temperature conditions.

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Life Detection Hardware

Carousel Module

A carousel that holds 18 cuvettes which are physically separated into three per soil sample for a total of six samples, which allows to conduct optical tests

Optics Module

A retractable optical subsystem performs photometric and spectroscopic analysis.

Soil Processing Module

A soil processing hardware, consisting of sieve mechanism to filter fine particles and a soil volumetric dispenser to regulate the amount of processed soil deposited into cuvettes.