Case study / simulation and autonomy

SimMoon: rehearse lunar work before the hardware is on the line

Lunar surface operations combine scarce power, uncertain terrain, changing resources, robotic teammates, and delayed opportunities to recover. SimMoon gives teams a shared environment for exploring those decisions earlier.

Explore a SimMoon scenario

SimMoon lunar operations rehearsal environment — SimMoon provides an interactive environment for lunar operations rehearsal.

Interactive lunar worldMission concepts become scenarios people can run

Hardware connectedSimulation can sit beside rover and autonomy development

NASA-backed researchTRUST/CITA work advances human-autonomy teaming

The problem

A spreadsheet can describe a mission. It cannot let a team inhabit one.

Surface architectures are full of interactions: route choice changes energy use, terrain changes mobility, equipment failures change priorities, and autonomous recommendations change what an operator understands and trusts.

SimMoon turns those interactions into visible, repeatable scenarios. The same world can support concept exploration, operator training, autonomy research, public engagement, and hardware-in-the-loop development without pretending that every use needs the same fidelity.

Connected development

Simulation, rover behavior, and operator decisions can evolve together.

Mission rehearsal

Teams can make surface tasks, constraints, routes, resources, and failure responses concrete enough to discuss and test.

Robotics integration

CARVE and related simulation work provide a path from virtual surface operations toward rover behaviors and hardware-in-the-loop experiments.

Trusted autonomy

TRUST/CITA research asks a sharper question than whether autonomy works: whether people can rely on it appropriately when uncertainty matters.

CARVE concept shown in Isaac Sim for surface-operations planning — CARVE in simulation connects surface planning with robotic development.

CARVE Gazebo simulation view for robotic surface operations — A Gazebo environment supports repeatable robotics scenarios.

CARVE terrain planning view for robotic site preparation — Terrain and site-preparation views make operational choices visible.

Where it can help

Use SimMoon to make the hard conversation happen sooner.

Potential collaborations include mission concept visualization, scenario authoring, operator studies, autonomy evaluation, digital-twin demonstrations, rover planning, education, and interactive experiences for teams explaining complex lunar systems.

SimMoon on the App Store Official TRUST award Existing SimMoon page

Create a scenario

Start with the decision your team needs to rehearse.

Cislune can help define the lunar environment, equipment, constraints, operator view, and evidence needed to turn that decision into an interactive demonstration.

Discuss SimMoon