The Australian Rover Challenge (ARCh) is back for another year, bigger than ever and in a new home.

A record 212 participants from eight Australian and two international teams will go head-to-head at this year’s challenge which will be held at The University of Adelaide’s Roseworthy campus for the first time.

The event runs from 21 – 24 March 2024, with the challenge field forming part of the University’s new EXTERRES Analogue Facility.

The annual robotics competition sees student teams competing in a series of challenges using self-designed and built semi-autonomous rovers. The Custom-built rovers are put to the test in a full-scale Lunar mission on a simulated Lunar surface.

The South Australian Space Industry Centre (SASIC) is a proud supporter of the Australian Rover Challenge and the Adelaide Rover Team who will once again be competing this year.

In the lead up to the event, Treasurer and Sponsorships Manager for the Adelaide Rover Team Georgia Dallimore said the team was excited to test their rover on the new competition track.

“This year our team has reached a record number of members, allowing us to develop new systems to achieve the objectives in each of the Challenge tasks,” Georgia said.

“It’s fantastic to see a record number of teams registered for this year’s Challenge, which will definitely up the competitiveness. We’re very excited to meet everyone and look forward to forging new friendships with those who have joined the Australian Rover Challenge for the first time this year,” she added.

Acting Chief Executive of SASIC Reg Carruthers said that it’s an honour to support the challenge once again, inspiring local students to develop their talents in STEM.

“The Australian Rover Challenge provides students with the opportunity to leverage their problem-solving and technical knowledge in an engineering challenge like no other,” said Mr Carruthers.

“It is particularly exciting this year as it will be the first use of the new facility at Roseworthy Campus, a world-class, multi-purpose research facility for application in the space and agriculture sectors.”

“Providing a platform for the next generation of industry leaders is crucial in fostering innovation, driving economic growth and promoting collaboration.”

Best of luck to all competing teams!

Learn more about the Australian Rover Challenge

Follow the Adelaide Rover Team’s journey

Watch the live stream of find out how to attend in person