Exterres CRATER Facility

The Roseworthy campus has a large-scale extra-terrestrial environment simulator that will see Adelaide University science being conducted on the moon in 2026. 

Mars rover robots on the dirt

The Extraterrestrial Environmental Simulation (Exterres) Covered Regolith Analogue Terrain for Experimental Research (CRATER) facility simulates high-fidelity lunar and Martian environments and will facilitate the development of technologies for lunar missions. CRATER will complement the nearby EXTERRES Analogue Facility, opened in February 2024, and support multiple research groups affiliated with the Andy Thomas Centre for Space Resources and the national EPE + Lunar Outpost Oceania Consortium (ELO2), chosen by the Australian Government to build and operate the Australian-made rover ‘Roo-ver’.

Project overview

  • Location: Roseworthy Campus
  • Size: 500m2
  • Cost: $1.2m
  • Architect: DesignInc
  • Engineers: System Solutions Engineering and CPR Engineering
  • Construction partner: G-Force
  • Project team: Alan Hall, Mark Branson

Features

  • Interior painted black with regolith simulants (loose rock similar to lunar soil) and low reflectivity to prevent light from bouncing back into the testing area.
  • Storage for simulants, rocks, field tools, and earth-handling equipment.

Completed June 2025.

Gallery