NASA’s CADRE Rovers Prepare for Launch

NASA’s CADRE (Cooperative Autonomous Distributed Robotic Exploration) mission is putting motion control to the test—on the lunar surface. Three suitcase-sized rovers, developed at JPL, are headed to the Moon to demonstrate how autonomous robots can coordinate movement, navigate terrain, and collect data—without real-time human control.

Recently packed for transport to Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C lander in Houston, the CADRE hardware is on track for launch aboard the company’s IM-3 mission, targeting the Moon’s Reiner Gamma region in early 2026. For the motion control community, CADRE represents a milestone: a real-world proving ground for multi-robot locomotion, distributed control, and adaptive autonomy in one of the harshest environments imaginable.