The moon may seem barren. A group of inquisitive primate is still interested in exploring the Moon and possibly establishing a longer-term presence there. The frozen water in shadowed craters at the lunar poles is the only primary source of water on the Moon.
We have been to the Moon before. We're aiming for the Moon again. We would like to stay longer. We will need help from our advanced tools to do that. rovers will play a critical role in exploring the Moon, and are one of the advanced tools.
There is frozen water on the Moon. The lunar south pole is the most promising source. Water ice and other volatiles on the south pole date back to the Solar System's formative years.
The water on the Moon is very important. It's not possible to transport large quantities of water there. We need water to drink. Water can be split into hydrogen and oxygen. Oxygen and hydrogen are used for plant propagation and rocket fuel.
Before we can rely on frozen water in shadowed craters, we need to learn more about the terrain that holds it. We need rovers on the moon. This is where the European Space Resources Innovation Center is located.
Canadian and European companies were challenged to compete in a lunar rover challenge. In a former aircraft hangar in the Netherlands, the teams were put through their paces in a simulation of a lunar environment. The Apollo missions landed in the flat highland regions, whereas the lunar pole region is much different. The moon's south pole is pockmarked with craters and is side-lit by the Sun, which barely rises above the horizon.
200 tons of lava rock were spread around the hangar. They spread rocks around, and 100 larger boulders more than one meter across.
The boulder locations were given to the rover teams on a map. Smaller-scale features were left as surprises when the teams were shown the large-scale features. This was a recreation of an actual mission, where maps can prepare rovers for their mission on the surface, but not completely. The teams could only see the environment through their rovers, which were hidden behind a black curtain.
The competing rovers had to navigate and map the whole test environment to find the best and safest passages to access.
We had wheeled, tracked and also walking vehicles, as well as visual and multi-spectral instrumentation, and in a few cases multiple instead of single rovers. The five teams that move forward to the next stage receive a development grant to increase their technology readiness ahead of the second stage challenge, hosted by ESRIC in Luxembourg this autumn.
The teams had 2.5 hours to complete the tasks. The obstacles in the moonscape made it difficult for the rover to reach the crater. Not every team was successful in meeting the requirements. Other teams had difficulties communicating with their rovers, and some had insufficient lighting.
Some groups didn't make it to the crater because they didn't have enough lighting on their rovers. Everyone learned a lot, including us.
The second phase of these rover trials is being overseen by a co-organizer. The teams that did not advance to the next phase found the experience positive.
Everyone got a practical, high-pressure try-out of their technologies, helping highlight any features that still need improvement.
Five teams made it out of this round. Each of the teams won contracts to further develop their rovers. The five teams will compete in Luxembourg from September 7th to September 9th. The challenge will be similar to this one, with teams mapping out a lunar environment in a set period of time.
The five winners from this phase will be welcomed by Bob Lamboray.
The Canadian team advanced to the next round. We are excited to improve our operations software to meet what we expect to be a bigger challenge.
The European Large Logistics Lander (EL3 mission) could make it to the Moon as early as 2028. It is in the concept and design phase, but if it goes ahead, it will be a versatile lander capable of delivering different payloads to the Moon. One of those will be a vehicle.
There are differences between the historic Apollo Moon missions and upcoming Artemis missions. The Apollo astronauts never spent a night in the dark on the Moon. Future missions to the shadowed south pole will have to contend with cold and darkness. This requires robust rovers with lots of power and lighting. One of the rovers in the challenges could be the beginning of the eventual rover that EL3 takes to the Moon.
Five teams are going to the next phase.
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