We stop at nothing
From late-night debugging in university labs to extreme outdoor obstacle clearance, our engineers push through every barrier.
HSM ARIES / CHAIR OF DRIVE, AUTOMATION, AND ROBOTICS TECHNOLOGIESTwenty-five minds.
Twenty-five minds.
A growing program.
The space robotics initiative of the Chair of Drive, Automation, and Robotics Technologies at Hochschule Schmalkalden—engineering planetary systems from first sketch to field test.
25Crew + advisors
08Specialist divisions
#01ERC qualification 2026
01 / THE MISSION
We do not wait for the future of exploration. We build it.
HSM Aries brings mechanical engineering, electronics, autonomous software, scientific payloads and mission operations into one space robotics initiative.
LEAP-One is the first rover project in the LEAP series. It is one way the initiative turns research, collaboration and systems thinking into real hardware.
LAB FEED / SCHMALKALDENHow we move
from idea to terrain.
We take it step by step
Iterative mechanical CAD, finite-element analysis, firmware bench validation and multi-terrain field trials make the hardware mission-ready.
We keep it simple
Elegant, modular architecture wins in harsh environments. Swappable payloads and robust linkages outlast unnecessary complexity.
Hard work. Shared purpose.
Undergraduate and postgraduate specialists turn classroom theory into a rover that competes on the international stage.
Discover
Start with the mission, terrain and science objective.
Design
Model every interface across mechanical, electrical and software teams.
Build
Machine, print, wire and integrate in the Schmalkalden lab.
Prove
Test in the field, learn from failure and return stronger.
03 / DIVISION ARCHITECTURE
Eight disciplines.
Zero silos.
LEAP-One is the first project in the LEAP series. Its eight departments show how HSM Aries integrates a complete rover platform.
01
LEAD / Brahama Teja Naroju
Mechanical & Drivetrain
Aluminium 3.3535 chassis architecture, differential rocker-bogie suspension, and six custom TPU wheels driven by Botwheel BLDC motors and ODrive S1 controllers.
6WD Independent BLDCDifferential Leveling Bar35° Gradeability
View team 02LEAD / Danny Sneham & Brahama Teja
Drill & Manipulator
Igus ReBeL 6-DoF manipulation with a modular 3D-printed gripper, paired with a 530 mm coaxial auger system for deep regolith collection.
2 kg Arm Payload≥300 mm Drill DepthModular End-Effector
View team 03LEAD / Omar Abdelrady
Software & Autonomy
ROS 2 on Ubuntu 24.04 combines RealSense depth sensing, EKF localization, Pure Pursuit path following and Dynamic Window Approach obstacle avoidance.
ROS 2 + EKFRealSense D435iDWA Obstacle Avoidance
View team 04LEAD / Ayan Akbar Ali
Electrical & Power Systems
A 25.6 V, 60 Ah LiFePO₄ main bus from four 12.8 V modules powers centralized distribution, regulated rails, CAN-connected motor control and the safety system.
2S2P LiFePO₄ · 1.5 kWhCAN Bus TelemetrySSR E-Stop
View team 05LEAD / Rahul Khandait
Astroflight (AQUILA UAV)
Autonomous reconnaissance UAV for aerial orthomosaic mapping, terrain hazard scanning, and cooperative rover-drone telemetry downlinks.
VTOL / Fixed Wing4K Aerial SurveyTelemetry Relay
View team 06LEAD / Harsha Vardhan Raju Gottimukkala
Scientific Payload
Environmental, gas, pH, turbidity, Raman and microscopy instruments pair with load-cell sample verification and a peristaltic liquid-handling system.
Raman SpectrometryHX711 Load CellspH + Gas Analysis
View team 07LEAD / Vighnesh Madhav Deshmukh
Communication & Comms
The primary Ubiquiti AirMAX TDMA link carries telemetry and 720p video, while 2.4 GHz ExpressLRS provides an independent command and backup path.
5 GHz AirMAX TDMA400 m Verified Link2.4 GHz ELRS Backup
View team 08LEAD / Reeba Biju
Mission Resources & Outreach
Coordinates sponsor relations with industry partners (Boehm Group, SICK), public exhibitions at Space Night, media documentation, and logistics.
SponsorshipsSpace Night ExhibitionsOperations
View team 04 / COMMAND CREW
The people coordinating the mission.
Meet all team members
01
Harsha Vardhan Raju Gottimukkala
Team Lead LEAP-One & Interim Lead Scientific Payload
02
Brahama Teja Naroju
Mechanical Lead & Manipulator Lead
03Ayan Akbar Ali
Electrical Department Lead
04Omar Abdelrady
Software Department Lead
05Vighnesh Madhav Deshmukh
Communication Lead & Software Engineer
06Rahul Khandait
Drone Lead (Astroflight) & Software Engineer
07Reeba Biju
Mission, Resources & Outreach (MRO) Lead
08Anantha Pathmanabhan
Scientific Payload Engineer
50.7147° N / 10.4657° E05 / OUR UNIVERSITY HOMEBuilt in
Built in
Schmalkalden.
HSM Aries is rooted in the Chair of Drive, Automation, and Robotics Technologies at Hochschule Schmalkalden, bringing students and disciplines together in a shared robotics lab.
Visit Hochschule Schmalkalden ↗06 / ADVISORY ORBIT
Experience around
the student mission.
Academic faculty, university mentors and industry experts help the crew turn ambitious ideas into robust engineering.
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Frank Schrödel
Faculty Advisor
Alexander Kolbai
Industry Advisor
Swaraj Tendulkar
University Mentor
K.K.Achari
Industry Mentor
Venkata Prashanth Uppalapati
University Mentor
Niranjan Ramesha
University Mentor
Nikhil Meduri
University Mentor
07 / INDUSTRY COLLABORATION
From CAD to five-axis reality.
The team works directly with industry leaders such as Boehm Group GmbH, pitching mechanical architecture and learning how rover subsystems move from student design to precision manufacturing.
Backed by industry leaders and academic pioneers
