The Network Infrastructure for the ROBEX Demomission Space

The demonstration mission space of the alliance Robotic Exploration of Extreme Environments (ROBEX) was a campaign on Mt. Etna in summer 2017. The network infrastructure and parts of the ground segment for this demonstration mission space were set up by the Mobile Rocket Base (MORABA) of the DLR. The ground segment included a control center which was based near Catania, Italy. Various terminals allowed for controlling a lander, a robotic rover and several experiment carriers which have been placed in 23 km airline distance on Mt. Etna. The distance was bridged by a radio link between the control center and a base camp at the demonstration site. From the base camp a shorter radio link of several hundreds of meters to the lander was established, and from there, the signal was distributed using several access points