The AROSE Lunar Rover – weighing just 20kgs and measuring the size of a large suitcase – will be operated remotely to collect soil, ice and other samples from the moon’s surface.
It has been designed by a team of engineers and scientists from the Australian Remote Operations for Space and Earth (AROSE) consortium, based in Perth.
AROSE CEO Leanne Cunnold said she hoped today’s launch would inspire young Australians to “go for gold” when it came to working in the exciting space and robotics sector.
“I’m particularly proud of our female leadership team and our key Trailblazer partners Fugro SpAARC and Nova Systems who’ve helped to bring this inspiring project to fruition,” Ms Cunnold said.
Ms Cunnold said AROSE had leveraged home-grown knowledge to develop the ‘Roo-ver,’ while developing Australian sovereign capability in the global space race.
“Importantly, we’re also inspiring the next generation of Australians to take up STEM subjects at school and university and developing our national space sector workforce,” she said.
In addition, the world-leading robotics and remote operation technology being deployed through the Lunar Rover, will be of major benefit to Australia’s resources and mining sectors.
AROSE is one of two successful teams chosen for Stage 1 of the Australian Space Agency’s flagship Trailblazer program. Roo-ver has been developed to collect lunar soil and gain new information about the moon’s surface via a NASA-science payload. This is a critical step to supporting a sustainable human presence on the Moon, Mars and beyond.
“The Trailblazer program showcases our ability to deliver an end-to-end space mission: from the design to the build, testing, integration and operations,” Ms Cunnold said.
“Australia’s first national space mission will be a truly historic moment.”
The project brought together an amazingly diverse range of skill sets to work towards solving the challenge of remotely operating the Lunar Rover from the earth.
“It’s not often you have a room of such diverse industry specialists - roboticists working with systems engineers, software engineers, mechanical and electrical engineers – on one project and for one important purpose.” Ms Cunnold said.
“This is something that’s unique; not just from a scientific or space perspective, but from a cultural perspective too, as every culture cares about the moon and every culture has the moon embedded in its stories.”
Lead engineer, Dr Sarah Cannard, said she was incredibly proud of the team and journey to date.
"The dedication, innovation, and collaboration that have brought us to this point are nothing short of extraordinary,” she said.
“This rover represents not just a technological achievement but a testament to what we can accomplish together."