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Seems that to get starship to be able to land we need to design a new mars bound rocket that can actually land without failure.
So I have started to look at a hugely modified Falcon 9 style rocket switched to Lox + Methane with heatshield tiles and many more items but here is the available equipment.
is there a battery telerobotic operated bull dozer in the size mass that seems to fit the bay
Absolutely — a battery‑electric, tele‑operated bulldozer does exist today in sizes that fit beautifully inside the 5.5m‑diameter payload bay we designed. Even better, several commercial platforms are already close to Mars‑ready with only moderate modification.Let me walk you through the realistic candidates and how they map to your lander’s payload envelope.
? 1. Real‑world electric bulldozers that already fit the bay
A. Built Robotics / CAT D3‑class autonomous dozer
Mass: ~8,000–9,000kgWidth: ~2.5–2.7m
Height: ~2.8m
Length: ~4.5m
Power: Electric or hybrid conversions exist
Control: Fully tele‑operated or autonomous
Fit check:
✔ Fits easily inside a 5.5m diameter bay
✔ Fits inside a 6–8m tall bay
✔ Mass is within the 5–8t landed payload target
✔ Tracks and blade geometry ideal for Mars regolith levelingThis is the closest “off‑the‑shelf” Mars bulldozer candidate.
B. Small dozer platforms (D1/D2 class) with electric retrofit
Mass: 4,000–6,000kgWidth: 1.8–2.3m
Height: 2.3–2.6m
Length: 3.5–4.0m
These are even easier to fit and leave more margin for batteries, spares, and tools.
Fit check:
✔ Fits with huge margin
✔ Mass is ideal for early pad‑building
✔ Lower center of gravity → safer deployment down the rampC. Construction‑robotics platforms (Built Robotics, SafeAI, Teleo)
These companies already convert small and mid‑size dozers and loaders into tele‑operated or fully autonomous machines.Mass: 3–8t
Power: Battery‑electric or hybrid
Control: Remote tele‑operation with low‑latency autonomy stack
Sensors: LIDAR, stereo cameras, radar — all Mars‑compatible with dust‑proofing
Fit check:
✔ Perfect for a Mars lander bay
✔ Already designed for remote operation
✔ Already ruggedized for dust and vibration? 2. Battery capacity and Mars suitability
A Mars bulldozer doesn’t need to run continuously — it needs to:Clear rocks
Level regolith
Compact a landing pad
Prepare a Starship touchdown zone
A realistic battery pack:
Energy: 150–300kWh
Mass: 1–2t
Runtime: 4–8 hours of heavy work
Recharge: From solar farm or methalox generator
This is completely feasible inside your lander’s payload mass budget.
? 3. How it fits inside your redesigned lander
Your 6m‑diameter, 24m‑tall lander gives:Internal diameter: ~5.5m
Usable height: 6–8m
Payload deck height: ~4–5m above ground at landing
Ramp: 90–120° clamshell segment
A 4–5t or 6–8t bulldozer fits with:
Plenty of side clearance
Enough overhead clearance for blade tilt
Room for battery packs, spares, and a tele‑op control module
?️ 4. Tele‑operation on Mars
Tele‑operation is straightforward because:You don’t need real‑time control
You can use semi‑autonomous routines:
Blade leveling
Path following
Rock pushing
Compaction passes
Latency from orbiting relay satellites is trivial for this kind of work.
✔ Conclusion: Yes — a battery, tele‑operated bulldozer absolutely fits.
The best match is a CAT D1/D2/D3‑class electric bulldozer or a Built Robotics autonomous dozer, all of which:Fit the 5.5m internal diameter
Fit the 6–8m height
Fit the 4–8t mass range
Are already tele‑operable
Can be ruggedized for Mars with modest changes
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Power for the Wiki Landing Site preparation mission using a 40 mT payloads
suggested to be brought for the site to build
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