Thilo Kaupisch

Dienstleistungszentrum Ländlicher Raum, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e. V. (DLR)

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About

Thilo Kaupisch is a robotics researcher whose work centers on planetary exploration, autonomous navigation, and robotic sample return missions. His most influential contribution is the CESAR project, a lunar crater exploration and sample return robot concept that addresses the challenge of retrieving water ice from the permanently shadowed, steeply sloped terrain of the Moon’s south pole. This paper, with 17 citations, has helped shape mission planning for future in-situ resource utilization. Kaupisch has also been instrumental in advancing space robotics through competition-based development. He contributed to the DLR SpaceBot Cup, a benchmark challenge that pushes teams to solve realistic planetary exploration tasks, such as traversing unknown terrain and manipulating objects after a simulated landing. His work on benchmarking assessment for technology readiness in SpaceBot further formalizes how to evaluate robotic capabilities for spaceflight. Through these efforts, Kaupisch has helped bridge the gap between terrestrial robotics research and the extreme demands of space exploration, inspiring a new generation of engineers to tackle the unique constraints of off-world autonomy and sample collection.