A California-based space-tech startup thinks that modular moon rovers could reduce the costs of exploration.
The Flexible Logistics and Exploration (Flex) rover was developed by the start-up, called Venturi Astrolab. The company said in a statement that the rover will enhance lunar and planetary mobility and meet the demand for frequent missions that would support a permanent human presence on the moon.
The rover is being designed with NASA in mind. The program hopes to send astronauts to the moon in 2025, but will involve a number of missions in need of lunar transportation technology.
The Americans, the Soviet Union, and the Chinese have all sent lunar rovers to the moon.
NASA explained the Artemis 1 moon mission in photos.
The exploration rovers that astronauts could use to drive around the landing sites were brought with the Apollo 15 and 16 missions. In the 70s, the Soviet Union sent robotic rovers. The Chinese have sent rovers to the far side of the moon in the past decade.
FLEX is meant to counteract the trend of creating custom rovers that tend to launch about once per decade to the moon or Mars, where NASA has deployed several rovers since the 1990s.
Jaret Matthews, founder and CEO of Astrolab, said in the same statement that for humanity to truly live and operate in a sustainable way off Earth, there needs to be an efficient and economical transportation network all the way from the launch pad to the ultimate outpost.
There is a gap in the last mile and Astrolab exists to fill it.
Astrolab said that FLEX, which is in the early stages of design, may be able to support two astronauts in an unpressurized environment.
The requirement set by NASA to industry to develop next-generation rovers for the lunar surface attracted a team composed of Lockheed Martin and GM, as well as another led by Northrop Grumman.
In October, NASA released an updated solicitation to industry, a request for information. According to a recent SpaceNews report, NASA expects the LTV to fly to the moon in 2027.
Astrolab said that FLEX's distinction is due to its novel mobility system architecture, which gives it the ability to pick up and deposit modular payloads in support of robotic science, exploration, logistics, site survey/preparation, construction, resource utilization, and other activities.
Chris Hadfield, a former Canadian Space Agency Astronaut, was involved in the feedback process on the prototype that was recently tested in the California desert near Death Valley.
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