By Staff Correspondent
Astrolab, a key partner of the Monegasque Venturi Group, has been granted a NASA contract to assist in the construction of the lunar terrain vehicle for the Artemis campaign. The rover, named FLEX, is outfitted with batteries and wheels created by the teams led by Gildo Pastor in Monaco and Switzerland.
The Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV) will help Artemis astronauts explore more of the Moon’s surface on upcoming missions. Venturi Astrolab, Inc. (Astrolab) announced that NASA has awarded the American company, along with its teammates Axiom Space, Inc. and Odyssey Space Research, a contract to advance the development of the LTV. The Astrolab team is among the three teams that have been awarded contracts. The value of Astrolab’s contract can reach a maximum of $1.9 billion. The three contract winners may collectively get task orders over the following 13 years, with a total potential value of $4.6 billion across the program’s duration. The contracts have a provision for an additional two years to fulfill the services.
Venturi has spent the last twenty years perfecting high-performance terrestrial electric cars, and with this announcement, they are taking a giant leap ahead. Its president, Gildo Pastor, heads an industrial group that makes the wheels and batteries for the lunar vehicle. Presented at the Paris Air Show in June 2023, the hyper-deformable wheels were created and produced by the Swiss arm of Venturi in conjunction with Astrolab. The batteries, meanwhile, will be made in Monaco in purpose-built factories right in the middle of the ancient Venturi headquarters.
In March 2022, Astrolab unveiled the operational prototype of their Flexible Logistics and Exploration (FLEX) rover. Since then, Astrolab has performed extensive laboratory and field testing, resulting in significant design enhancements. Astrolab conducted experiments in collaboration with Venturi’s engineers, leading to enhancements in the wheels and batteries.
In accordance with NASA’s specifications, the FLEX vehicle has the capacity to transport two astronauts in space suits, has the ability to house a robotic arm for scientific exploration, can handle the logistical tasks of transporting robotic cargo, and is designed to withstand the extreme temperatures found at the lunar South Pole. This presents a significant technological challenge, especially for the highly flexible wheels and batteries. FLEX has the capability to be controlled from Earth without the need for humans to be physically there. Alternatively, it can also be managed by astronauts wearing space suits.
Upon reaching the lunar surface, Astrolab anticipates that FLEX will surpass all previous rovers in size and capabilities, making it the most advanced lunar rover to date. The FLEX rover has a maximum combined mass of about two tonnes, making it almost three times heavier than its greatest predecessor. The enhanced capability allows for a substantial boost in the ability to carry out scientific investigations and commercial activities on the lunar surface.
“I’m proud that NASA has recognized the Venturi Group’s expertise through our strategic partnership with Astrolab.” We are now in the middle of a journey that will go down in history books: sending people back to the moon. This comes after 20 years of progress and world records in the field of electric cars on land. When I see this rover working up there with our wheels and batteries on it, it will be the best dream come true. “— Gildo Pastor, CEO of the Venturi Group.”
Astrolab is proud to have its FLEX rover chosen by NASA to contribute to the construction of a Lunar Terrain Vehicle for the Artemis Campaign. The entirety of our team, in collaboration with our commercial partners, notably our strategic partner Venturi Group, is dedicated to providing NASA with an LTV that will act as a crucial instrument in the agency’s endeavours to establish a sustained human presence on the Moon. Jaret Matthews is the founder and CEO of Astrolab.
