Lutz Richter

Space Projects Expert

Lutz Richter is the Space Projects Expert at SoftServe. He has more than 25 years of experience in space robotics and has been involved in several planetary missions of the European Space Agency (ESA), NASA, and the Japanese Space Agency JAXA, such as the ESA ROSETTA comet rendezvous mission, ESA’s MARS EXPRESS mission with the BEAGLE 2 lander, the highly successful NASA / JPL MARS EXPLORATION ROVERS (MER) which saw sustained Mars rover operations for more than 14 years following landing on Mars, and the JAXA HAYABUSA-2 asteroid sample return mission with the European MASCOT hopping mobile robot. Lutz has led development of several planetary rover mobility systems and of planetary sampling systems, for both technology development and for actual flight, including key roles in the ESA ExoMars rover mobility system and wheel design, and in the ESA ExoMars sample handling system. He has led pre-development of several important instruments slated to fly on lunar missions, namely of an instrumented short drill and a LIBS laser instrument, both intended for in situ detection of volatiles in lunar regolith. Lutz also is the 1st Vice President of the International Society of Terrain-Vehicle Systems (ISTVS), a globally acting non-profit in the field of terramechanics and machinery interacting with natural terrains, both on Earth and in space. He also is involved in initiatives related to the emerging “lunar economy” which seeks to enable sustained exploration of the Moon.

Lutz’s recent stories

By Lutz Richter, Lyubomyr DemkivDec 19, 2023

IoT, XR, Robotics, AI & MLNvidiaOther

Free-Flying Lunar Drones and Their Crucial Role in Moon Exploration

SoftServe has been researching an alternative approach to mapping lunar surfaces: free-flying vehicles that offer a more efficient mobile method for mapping the Moon's surface. Read this article to find out more and learn why exploration on the Moon is so important.

8 min read