SpaceX's Starship Megarocket Slated to Deliver This Wild Lunar Rover to the Moon

2 months ago 7

A trial of the prototype was performed successful California past year.

After investigating its FLEX rover successful the California godforsaken past year, Astrolab is present making plans to transport the conveyance to the Moon. The astronautics startup signed an statement with SpaceX to present Astrolab’s archetypal lunar rover to the Moon connected a aboriginal Starship mission.

A Transformer Is Headed to the Moon

On Friday, Astrolab announced that SpaceX would usage its Starship motorboat and landing strategy to transport the Flexible Logistics and Exploration (FLEX) rover to the aboveground of the Moon by mid-2026. The rover volition beryllium carrying astir 2,200 pounds of lawsuit cargo (1,000 kilograms) to the Moon, the details of which volition beryllium announced soon.

Astrolab, successful concern with Venturi Group, designed a fleet of its FLEX rovers with 1 extremity successful mind: supporting a sustainable beingness of humans connected the Moon. The rovers are designed to present payloads to the Moon, arsenic good arsenic transport 2 astronauts crossed the lunar surface. FLEX is besides designed with a robotic limb and subject mast akin to NASA’s Mars rovers and besides an antenna to supply changeless high-bandwidth connection with Earth. The thought is for the FLEX rover fleet to besides 1 time spell to Mars and enactment a quality beingness connected the Red Planet, according to Astrolab.

An illustration of Astrolab’s rover connected the aboveground of the Moon.

G/O Media whitethorn get a commission

42% Off

Amazon Fire TV 50" 4K Smart TV

Incredible visuals
This astute TV has entree to a wide array of streaming services, each of which are easier to navigate, has 4K visuals for a stunning picture, and comes with an Alexa Voice Remote too.

“Our Astrolab squad has created overmuch much than a rover for usage connected the Moon oregon Mars,” Jaret Matthews, laminitis and CEO of Astrolab, said successful the company’s statement. “We expect that that this attack volition assistance found a imperishable lunar outpost connected the Moon astatine a little outgo and successful little clip than antecedently envisioned.”

The California-based startup is hoping to onshore a declaration from NASA arsenic portion of the abstraction agency’s Artemis programme to the Moon. In bid to enactment astronauts’ sustainable beingness connected and astir the Moon, NASA is looking for ideas for a Lunar Terrain Vehicle concept. The abstraction bureau is expected to contented a telephone for proposals successful May.