Abstract
Exploring high-latitude lunar regions presents a challenging visual environment for robots. The low sunlight elevation angle and minimal light scattering result in a visual field dominated by a strong contrast featuring long, dynamic shadows. Reproducing these conditions on Earth requires sophisticated simulators and specialized facilities. We introduce a unique dataset recorded at the LunaLab from the SnT - University of Luxembourg, an indoor test facility designed to replicate the optical characteristics of multiple lunar latitudes. Our dataset includes images, inertial measurements, and wheel odometry data from robots navigating different trajectories under multiple illumination scenarios, simulating high-latitude lunar conditions from dawn to nighttime with and without the aid of headlights, resulting in 88 distinct sequences containing a total of 1.3 M images. Data was captured using a stereo RGB-inertial sensor, a monocular monochrome camera, and, for the first time, a novel single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) camera. We recorded both static and dynamic image sequences, with robots navigating at slow (5 cm/s) and fast (50 cm/s) speeds. All data is calibrated, synchronized, and timestamped, providing a valuable resource for validating perception tasks from vision-based autonomous navigation to scientific imaging for future lunar missions targeting high-latitude regions or those intended for robots operating across perceptually degraded environments.
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Data availability
The dataset is publicly available at Zenodo6.
Code availability
All code described in this paper can be accessed at https://GitHub.com/spaceuma/spice-hl3. We designed Python and Matlab scripts to be easily adaptable to the ultimate end-user needs. Further descriptions, requirements, and versions are stated in the git repository’s README.md.
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Acknowledgements
We would like to thank Pi Imaging Technologies for generously providing the SPAD512 camera used in the recording of this dataset. This work was supported in part by armasuisse Science and Technology (contract number 8003538860) under the project Monocular SPAD camera for enhanced vision in complex and uncertain environments. This work was partly conducted when the corresponding author was still affiliated with the Advanced Quantum Architecture Laboratory (AQUA) at EPFL, Switzerland.
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D.R.-M. conceived the experiments, formatted and prepared the dataset, built and wrote the code in the code repository, and drafted the original manuscript. D.R.-M., D.vdM., J.S., and A.B. refined the implementation of the experiments and prepared the rovers for data acquisition. D.vdM., J.S., A.B., and M.O.-M. arranged the experimental facility prior to the experiments. D.vdM. and A.B. operated the rovers and supervised the network. J.S. assisted and conducted sensor calibration. D.R.-M., D.vdM., and A.B. conducted the rover experiments. C.J.P.P. and M.A.O.-M. defined data formatting and advised on data validation. All authors reviewed, edited, and approved the final manuscript.
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Rodríguez-Martínez, D., van der Meer, D., Song, J. et al. SPICE-HL3: Single-Photon, Inertial, and Stereo Camera dataset for Exploration of High-Latitude Lunar Landscapes. Sci Data (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-026-06668-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-026-06668-8
